Repairing trunk Damage to 3 Palm trees

[ingi]

I have 3 palm trees beside my house. A person has cut into the trunks taking a wedge out of each of them using a chainsaw half way through the trunks.
An Arborist had helped me secure the trees and said that they will survive but might not be as healthy.
I have left them to heal but wondering what else I could do to secure the trunks. fill the whole or something organic that could bond and grow into the cuts.
 

Edited January 15 by ingi
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[TropicsEnjoyer]

Shame on whoever did that. Such petty vandalism.

[Harry’s Palms]

That is a shame . Just be sure they are not going to do any property damage if or when they fall. A strong wind , like we have here in Southern California , would most likely topple them. Harry

[PalmatierMeg]

Palms cannot heal themselves like true woody/dico trees can. Palms are monocots more closely related to grasses and have fibrous trunks. There may be ways to treat the physical damage they suffered and I hope someone will address them but the palms will not heal on their own. My condolences

[flplantguy]

Wow thats crazy that someone did that, are these near a neighbor that has complained?  Or possibly the wrong address on a work order for removal and they were stopped in time  A metal wedge in the cut could hold it steady and prevent leverage stresses on the trunk, but there isnt much you can do And thats not really necessary either.  Watch for further damage and issues (compare photos over time) so you can catch a slow failure early before it hits something.  They have a lot of the vascular bundles left, so they may not even take damage since its winter and less sunlight and heat.  And put in a camera if you can just in case.

[ingi]

Thank you the arborist has suggested 4 metre long solid metal poles placed around the trunk and straps to secure the top and bottom of the poles. Yes it was a crazy neighbor, all caught on cctv. I just want to save them. 

[Josue Diaz]

The left two in the last photo look like they will live on despite the damage. The furthest right palm has a severe cut that looks like it goes a bit past the halfway mark. It is going to severely hinder that palm's ability to draw up water and nutrients, and obviously makes it a hazard come any wind event. I would cut my losses (literally and figuratively), and plant a new set of palms. I really don't think those steel rods and straps stand any chance if the top of the palm decides it wants to go - the leverage on that canopy is pretty immense. The taller the palm, the bigger the leverage. 

[flplantguy]

And take the neighbor to court to pay for it if you do have to remove them. Im dumbfounded by all the plant vandalism im seeing lately, its like the human race decided to collectively reject life in general, with exceptions of course.  Or maybe we just tolerate bad behavior too much🤷‍♂️?  I also agree about the leverage depending on height and other factors.  And if they are a known threat you may not have the support of insurance covering it if they fall.  That vandal is a horrible human being that probably knows fully well what they did, and the effect, and may act on it with litigation if given the oportunity.  Im glad you have the video!

[Looking Glass]

Here that neighbor would be liable for replacement and transplant of fully adult trees of the same size, and perhaps separate criminal charges.  The trees wouldn’t be expensive, but the flatbed, crane/backhoe, and installation would.  Those trees will never heal and are likely a fall risk now. 

[Navarro]

Foto sacada de Google , colocar un anillo de acero como el de la foto sería otra opción 

[Las Palmas Norte]

Legal action. Those trees will have to be removed and replaced.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

Also you should go ahead and plant some lady palms and bamboo right by your fence 😂. If you know you know. 

[Kim]

Heinous. That person is not well, but we can be glad he/she did not use the chainsaw on another living being.

[Harry’s Palms]

I hope that “fix” works for you . I don’t know your laws over there , but I would certainly seek replacement for those mature palms . That is just insane that someone would do that. Harry

[ingi]

Everyone has been so helpful, Thank you.
The laws in Australia do not allow someone to cut down your trees on your land. I would have to take this person to court myself as a civil action. But the best thing I could do would be to save the trees. They are protected from the wind by the houses on either side and a tall rock face behind them. The arborist said that the trunks will get wider over time as they grow.

 

[Looking Glass]

I don’t know how much wider they would expect those to get.  Palms generally take a while to get wide before ever getting the trunk part, then they grow up, without gaining much width depending on the species.  Royal palms get a lot wider after getting a little bit of early trunk, but this process doesn’t occur to a great extent in most mature palms, like it does in, say, an oak tree.  Maybe someone who raises Archies could weigh in.  

You’re a peace-able fellow, I’ll give ya that.   Hope it works out.  Sometimes it’s best to avoid a fight, sometimes you can use the carrot, and sometimes, when conflict is inevitable, there’s the other stuff.  

Here’s an unpopular take on this forum though….   I can see, how a poorly planted palm like this one, now half overhanging someone else’s property, could predictably lead to conflict over time, depending on the circumstances.  Especially if not meticulously trimmed and maintained on the owner’s end, or if it interferes with someone else’s property use.  Not everybody loves palms as much as we do.  

[ingi]

Thanks! just FYI the neighbors opposite us  next to the trees love the palm trees too and were upset to hear the neighbor behind did this.

[mlovecan]

Are you saying this is not conidered a criminal act?? That neighbour would definitely be arrested for that around here.

That said, I wouldn't waste any time. Just remove them. They will never be the same and it's far less pain to remove them than watch their death over the next 2 or 3 years.

I would just replace them with something more expensive and exotic (but maybe 1/4 that size) and tell the judge it was the closest replacement you could find,

Better to have the enjoyment of watching something else growing into that space than deal with the pain of watching those three palms slowly die. They have no long-term chance of survival whatsover.

 

[gyuseppe]

13 minutes ago, mlovecan said:

Are you saying this is not conidered a criminal act?? That neighbour would definitely be arrested for that around here.

That said, I wouldn't waste any time. Just remove them. They will never be the same and it's far less pain to remove them than watch their death over the next 2 or 3 years.

I would just replace them with something more expensive and exotic (but maybe 1/4 that size) and tell the judge it was the closest replacement you could find,

Better to have the enjoyment of watching something else growing into that space than deal with the pain of watching those three palms slowly die. They have no long-term chance of survival whatsover.

 

Hello Maurice, welcome back! Do you remember that we text each other often?

[happypalms]

Complete vandalism, we get the same here along the coastline with people killing native vegetation and plants that are blocking there view of the beach. It’s so obvious when you see the trees dying who has done it. Land care groups replace the trees but they kill them as well. 

[Harry’s Palms]

I have neighbors on both sides that love the palms I grow. I have given them both ( actually the other houses as well on our street ) palms and Tillandsia’s . I try to “just get along” . I realize that some of my palms overhang and may cause a problem . I ask them if I can have access to trim my palms from time to time so as to keep any intrusion to a minimum. I guess I have been blessed with good neighbors . Both neighbors now have bought palms of their own! When the house west of me sold , I introduced myself to the new neighbor and told them to contact me if any of the palms along the fence line were a problem . The response I got was a surprise , “ are you kidding ? One of the reasons we bought this house was the palms  along the property line!” Harry

[TropicsEnjoyer]

6 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Especially if not meticulously trimmed and maintained on the owner’s end, or if it interferes with someone else’s property use.

I used to live next to someone who had a king palm literally against my fence. It was a massive one too, bigger than the ones this person has and probably the height of a royal. Anyway, it used to drop a frond every so often on my yard if we didn’t catch them before they fell. It did damage my plants quite a few times but it was nothing infuriating enough to consider harming the tree. The beauty outweighs the damage imo.

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

I used to live next to someone who had a king palm literally against my fence. It was a massive one too, bigger than the ones this person has and probably the height of a royal. Anyway, it used to drop a frond every so often on my yard if we didn’t catch them before they fell. It did damage my plants quite a few times but it was nothing infuriating enough to consider harming the tree. The beauty outweighs the damage imo.

7 hours ago, ingi said:

Thanks! just FYI the neighbors opposite us  next to the trees love the palm trees too and were upset to hear the neighbor behind did this.

That’s a great scenario, glad it works out.  I guess “the chainsaw bandit” must really be a disgruntled nut then!

I probably have 12 Christmas palms overhanging my yard, pool and roof from different neighbors on 3 different sides.  They seed year round here.  They drop flowers, seeds, wind broken fronds all over, constantly making a huge mess.   One coconut near the lines has knocked my house power out at least 10 times over a few years.  The electrical lines sometimes burn the frond back.  When they pay for a rare trim, they just drop fronds on my side, crushing $80 rare bromeliads at a time.  It’s annoying as hell sometimes

One neighbor’s overhanging Royal Palm fell in a storm, luckily it went their way, not mine.  RIP.   Fronds from a 50 foot Bizmark and two Foxtails land on my truck sometimes and will crush and kill young palms.  

(Missed! But man the “thud” from this shook my entire garage the other night, and scared the hell out of me in there, til I figured out what happened)

Some stormy weeks I’ve got a full lawn pickup bin from all of their stuff that lands here, and can’t use it for my own copious detritus from yard work.   I won’t trim near the high voltage lines though, as a guy down the street had his feet blown right off and died after hitting one with a pole saw.    

I haven’t run over there with the chainsaw, but some people are just clueless and entitled around here.  I’m on good terms with two of the neighbors, so on my day off I’ sometimes go over to their yards and get ahead of it, and trim all their trees with a pole saw and clean everything up for them.  They appreciate the free yard work.  ….the things you have to do to keep the peace in close quarters sometimes.  One, is an older lady who gives me cookies and lasagna for my efforts.   It’s much more tolerable if you are friends or friendly acquaintances.

Too few people know enough, or care enough, to consider the future grown of a tree planted near a fence or property border.   It’s a common issue around here, where we are packed in, and tropical plants grow big very fast, and flower often.   

[Josue Diaz]

12 hours ago, ingi said:

Everyone has been so helpful, Thank you.
The laws in Australia do not allow someone to cut down your trees on your land. I would have to take this person to court myself as a civil action. But the best thing I could do would be to save the trees. They are protected from the wind by the houses on either side and a tall rock face behind them. The arborist said that the trunks will get wider over time as they grow.

 

This photo adds a lot more perspective. I would absolutely remove them. They're a falling hazard being that tall with such large crowns. Archontophoenix grow so fast, you could have palms that big in 10 years (or much sooner if you replace with large specimens rather than small seedlings). You could end up paying for damage to your neighbor's house if those palms come down toward their side (windows, fence, that little pop-out with the roof...) 

[Tomas]

On 1/15/2025 at 9:41 PM, ingi said:

Thank you the arborist has suggested 4 metre long solid metal poles placed around the trunk and straps to secure the top and bottom of the poles. Yes it was a crazy neighbor, all caught on cctv. I just want to save them. 

Your arborist is only partially right, the diameter of the trunk may increase, but the proportion between the diameter and the depth of the cuts will not change.

Also, to me, the solution pictured above will not work, you would need the bars also fixed to a horizontal iron circling bars that could keep the vertical bars equidistant. See the picture just to illustrate the idea.

Palms are tough and these damaged ones possibly could live, but I would recommend to consult an engineer for a similar solution.

[Merlyn]

I'm with @Josue Diaz on those cuts.  The right one looks like it has gone through over half the trunk.  Cut it down asap before it dies and falls on one of the houses or a person.  I wouldn't trust that in even 30kph winds where you have ~200-300kg of weight way up at the top.  The other two might survive, but they are also a risk.  Being next to a house doesn't always reduce the wind strength, sometimes it can dramatically increase local wind speed.  Just walk down the street in any downtown with skyscrapers, you'll notice some spots are totally calm and then practically blown off your feet walking around a corner.

As a mechanical engineer I can guarantee those steel rods below are functionally useless.  If one starts to topple the rods will just slide around the side and it'll fall...and fling a tensioned steel rod through some inconveniently placed person or house...or both.  A fully welded rebar cage *might* provide some support, but the reality is that you've got a 10 meter lever arm with a lot of weight waaaay up at the top.  And it's only going to get worse for the lever arm as they get taller.  Kings grow fast enough to replace them with some relatively inexpensive ~2m tall palms.  In a few years they could be near the current palm's height without the risk of dying and falling.

Initially I thought it was your neighbor on the other side of the fence that cut them...but the backyard neighbor?  How bizarre.  Do they block their view of the sea between the houses or something? 

[ingi]

Thank you for the advise. I think I will have to remove them and talk to the police and a lawyer in regards to replacing and get an AVO. So sad as they give a great outlook from our dining room.

[SeanK]

Current structural integrity aside momentarily, my concern is for infection and further weakening over the next year or two. 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

If you get any money from your claim, battle, case or whatever maybe you can use that to replace them.