Problem with Birch trunk

This is a four year old birch (jacquemontii). It's one of three of the same kind and age.

This one sways a great deal more in the wind and I'm wondering if that's because of this weakness in the trunk.

Any ideas?

The wound looks like it might be borer damage. But if the tree is otherwise identical to the other two, besides the swaying, and the leaves are healthy the suspected damage may have healed. Is it a smaller caliper tree than the other two?

I'm not an expert on borers at all. I've had experience in the past though with other Birch trees. In that case, there was an entry hole and sawdust on the ground fallen from where the borer made it's entry.

This case the bark is sort of peeled back, no sawdust on the ground, and no entry hole. That doesn't mean borers couldn't work some other way.

The caliper is about the same as the other Birch trees. I did something yesterday that I don't usually believe in at all. I strapped a nursery stake (bamboo) to this tree with soft strapping. We had winds today of 15 to 20 mph. This tree that swayed so much before is now swaying about the same as the other two. Now I don't know how long to keep the stake on for. Also I wrapped stretchy plastic tape tightly around this "wound" area shown in the photo above. It just sounded like a good idea to help it heal.

I'm not sure if it was borers either but it looks healed. Especially if it is in leaf like the other two. It might not be a good idea to wrap the 'wound' from what I've read. They need to exposed to air, I think. Someone else may correct me. I think wrapping it would do more harm than good.
Is the tree healthy besides the swaying? If so I don't think you anything to worry about.
I would like for a more knowledgeable tree person to weigh in.

OH NO!!! One branch of my Birch tree broke off yesterday. (See arrow) The wind hadn't been as bad as before either.

Take a look at the rest of the tree. The lower left branch is growing pretty much horizontal. To me that's not good.

Why is it growing like this? The rest of the tree is pretty much vertical. This isn't a the best time to prune for structural problems like this because it encourages borers. But if it's going to break anyway, maybe I should cut the branch back to the first fork.

What do you think?

It looks fine to me. I wouldn't even know anything was wrong if there was no arrow there. How long have they planted? I know you said they are four years old. When do you plan to unstake them?

I'm not sure when to unstake them. We've had such strong winds (well, 30 mph) that whipped those birches around something fierce. They looked like whips.

I have been reducing the height of the lodge poles this past year. So maybe next year at this time I'll remove the poles altogether.

The trees were planted 2-1/2 to three years ago.

Generally it is a bad idea to stake trees. From what I've read and heard lately it keeps them from developing a strong root system. I am sure there are trees that do need to be staked. I don't think your birches need it. But get more expert advice before you listen to me.

It's better not to stake trees if you can avoid it, but when you live in high wind areas it is sometimes necessary to stake trees for a year or two until the roots have taken hold firmly enough to keep the tree from being uprooted in a wind gust. There are proper ways of doing it so that the trunk still has some freedom of movement. 4 yrs should be more than enough for the roots to take hold though so I don't think you need them anymore from that standpoint. And if any part of the tree is going to bend/break in the wind it's the smaller branches at the top that aren't being helped by the stakes anyway.

I couldn't agree with you more ecrane3.

My recent limb breakage was about 4 foot above ground and I don't know why that one broke.

I've been cutting my lodge poles down about a foot or two at a time. Now they are about 4 foot tall. I think I can safely remove the ones from my Crape Myrtles. They hold up pretty well in the wind. I'm not sure how much swaying is acceptable with the birches though.

Since it should be firmly rooted, I don't think that the trunk below the point where you have the stakes now is going to move much in the wind. The top of the tree where the trunk is skinnier may still sway in the wind, but the stakes aren't helping it now either. The farther you go down toward the ground the less it's going to move. The reason for staking it initially is that when the roots haven't taken hold to anchor the tree, it can sway and pull the roots out of the ground, but after 4 yrs it ought to have a nice root system going and that won't be a problem anymore.

ecrane3, I took all the stakes off my three Birches a few months ago. They were 15 gallon size planted two years ago. They have grown in height somewhat and are now about 12 foot tall.

The soil up here is clay and some rocks. I'm not sure how good the root system is at this point. The head of the nursery where I got the trees is emphatic that there should be stakes on them still. But how many more years? He hasn't said. I've read stakes should only be on for a year. You said two to four years. I'm sure soil has a big factor in root growth but once roots are established in this soil, it should be very secure. Attached is a picture of one Birch (the one with bark problems) taken two days ago. This was probably a 10 mph breeze.

Could you respond to this and elaborate some more?

Does the tree stand back straight when it isn't breezy/windy?

What I said earlier was that after 4 yrs your tree should be plenty well rooted that you don't need stakes to keep it from getting uprooted by the wind. Even after 2 yrs, your roots are probably secure enough that the tree won't get uprooted in the wind. I don't see any disturbance around the base of your tree that suggests the roots are in any danger of getting pulled out of the ground. (The general guidance is to leave the stakes on no more than a year, but if you've got it staked properly so that the tree has some ability to move then I don't think there's any harm in leaving them on for a little longer than that--however after a couple years they're not going to do you much good anymore)

If the tree straightens up when the wind stops then you don't have anything to worry about, but if it doesn't then you may need to do something to keep it from becoming permanently bent like that. But 4-5 ft stakes you had before aren't going to help you with that since it's the top 5 ft of the tree that's bending in the wind not the bottom 5 ft which is where your stakes would be attached.

There are others that can probably say it better, but...the value of staking is only partially related to keeping a tree from blowing over (uprooting) when first planted.

Far more important is: staking (especially when staked firmly/tightly) actually degrades the quality of trunk strength.

Trees form cells in the trunk in response to stresses like wind and gravity. If you artificially support the trunk of the tree by staking or guying, then there are no stresses for the growth of the trunk to respond to. Then you get images like that shown above where a very slight wind causes this tree to sway quite a ridiculous amount, which it probably wouldn't do if it were grown without firm/tight staking support.

Here is a comparison which isn't exact, but is similar and which many of us can understand: the weakening of a human appendage that is supported by a cast, like an arm or a leg. The muscles, which normally provide strength and support to bones, etc. will atrophy when not used in response to stresses or gravity while the limb is supported by an artificial cast. The result is weakness, which must be improved or overcome by exercise.

Imagine your tree's trunk in a similar situation. If it never sways in response to wind loading or to the weight of its own branches, then it will not form cells to support itself and it will sway around (and in some cases I'm familiar with, just bend right over to the ground like a really limber gymnast).

The best answer for gardeners in windy sites? Put stakes out for newly planted trees, but attach these stakes to the tree very loosely. You don't want the plant uprooted, but you don't want it in a straight jacket either.

The best thing to do is plant small saplings and then you won't have to worry about it. But most people want it NOW. A sapling if grown well will probably catch up with and overtake a bigger tree in maybe 2 or 3 years. I know I have many that do.

killdawabbit, I certainly agree with you. However, we weren't thinking when we bought our new house. The back yard faces WEST and here it's unbearable in the late afternoon.

In the past, I have bought smaller trees, did grow at a good rate and didn't require heavy duty staking. I believe at my last house all the trees I bought were 5 gallon size. Here they have all been 15 gallon size. We had a landscape contractor do our back yard (the front was already provided by the developer) and 15 gallon was his practice.

Another suggestion. It's what I would do but make up your own mind. If my birches were blowing around like that and I couldn't stand it I would cut them back leaving about an inch or so of trunk. They will make up the height lost probably in two or three years. You would probably end up with several stems sprouting up. You can make up your mind to make them a single trunk or let them clump.
Radical? Maybe but I did it with a pin oak years ago and it is a little taller than the one next to it planted at the same time. And I left it double trunked.
I have also done this with other trees that were doing poorly. It usually rejuvenates them.

Pruning a Birch tree invites Birch borers, besides I think the trees will make it unless we have fierce winds. Which, by the way, we have had a lot of wind this year. We have been getting both north and south winds, often back and forth the same day. It's really unusual.

This is a picture taken of one of them today with a slight south breeze.

That looks pretty good to me. I think you're OK.