Question
QUESTION: I have a 9 year old globe willow tree (approximately 25' tall)that recently split at the base and part of it toppled over.  We looked inside the base and it is brown, not what I expected at all.  Do you think this is a diseased tree, how can we tell if the rest of the tree should come down?

ANSWER: IF the wood inside the down split is solid the tree is ok. If the inside is mushy then a decay fungi has infected the trunk. I would expect that it is solid. Just cut the break off smooth and the tree should be ok--it will be lopsided for a couple of years until it regrows foliage on the broken side.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The inside does look decayed and the bark is peeling off other areas of the standing tree.  We have another tree near this one and the bark is also peeling off it as well.  With the one that looks decayed, would it be worth  the $$ to have an arborist determine if I need to remove the whole tree?

Thank you for your advise.

Answer
IF it does have a decay fungi in the woody cells it does not mean the tree is doomed but the decay may cause additional breakage of the larger limbs. I would cut the broken off so that there is no jagged bark around the wound and then fertilize the tree with 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 lb per inch of trunk diameter scattered around the tree and watered in good. Apply just before a rain storm and you will not need to water it in. To save money you might call the local office of the State Forestry agency and ask one of their Forester to take a look. Them looking at the remaining part maybe able to determine if the tree is worth saving. IF you hire an arborist make sure they are certified. Here is a web link to the certified arborist. http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx