Q.Large Oak Tree
I am buying a house with a huge oak tree in the front yard. It has many high branches, plenty of leaves, and the bark looks healthy (to my inexperienced eyes anyway). The problem is that it has a folded, hollow area in one side of the trunk with dried wood visible. I don’t know if this is a sign that the tree is unhealthy, or if it is just how the tree is growing. I am just trying to figure out if this tree is eventually going to be a risk to my house or not.
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Most of the time, these hollows are not a problem. The center part of the tree is dead anyway, so it is not affecting the health of the tree. To be honest, it is probably a home to an animal. Keep an eye on it, though. As long as it stays dry, there is no problem, but if you see rot set in, which will be damp wood that crumbles easily, you will want to have an arborist treat it to save the tree.
