Tree Of Heaven OR Tree From Hell?

Today I chop down an Ailanthus tree, often known as Tree of Heaven, with my new hatchet. I explain some of the history and characteristics of this invasive tree and why I am removing it from my land.
MUSIC:
Acoustic Guitar 1 by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: audionautix.com/

[@UniversalDirt]

The female tree is quite pretty in the fall with all the pastel orange seed clusters. It does produce a LOT of seeds, so when I eliminated mine, I started with the females. The male tree's leaves have a strong, nice, pungent peanut smell. When I was a kid (55 years ago) the neighbors across the street planted one in their front yard. We called it the peanut butter tree. I could tell from the video that Art's tree would fall opposite to the notch. -Art's Dad.

[@UniversalDirt]

Look them both up. The Tree of Heaven is also called alanthus, and is much taller than sumac. Sumac is a nectar producer and its flower clusters are upright. ToH flowers hang down. Sumac is more red orange. ToH is pinkish. Sumac is native, etc.

[@cyclistrobert]

Definitely the Tree of Hell. These took over the backyard woods area behind our house in NC, and pulling the roots out with a pick mattock was several months of what seemed like endless labor! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has done battle with them, so that others understand the challenge that these trees present.

[@davidavid8686]

Thank you for the video, but if you simply cut them off, this will stimulate their emmergency of crazy self-defending system and will grow more and more everywhere, incontrollable then!!! So please use Triclopyr to treat the stumps, there are a lot of video in youtube showing it.

[@inderwink]

Love how you and Bri study up on your vid topic and share with us what you learned. Sets you apart!

[@crittert7828]

I watched the girls video 12 times last night & will today as much as possible. Really hoping they reach a million by Christmas🎈

[@alexcarrn28]

Wow the tree from heaven, very interesting. I believe I've watched this video before on your Channel. I am, what I consider, a devoted viewer of your Channel. I find it very interesting to go back now and again and check out older videos that you put out. Thanks again once more. I always appreciate the good content that you produce. God bless you all. Till I see you again!

[@misoucat5537]

I've been working on a similar project for several years now in Massachusetts. I've removed over four very large trees. I dig out as much of the roots as possible and pull them up with my truck. I even pulled up my neighbor's, which probably came from me. I filled a 33 gallon bag with just seeds. They are too "toxic" to go into yard waste, so they are going into household trash. I hope they won't grow in the landfill! Every year I continued to pull new growth and the numbers have been dwindling. Last year I got very few. Let's see what this year brings. I used no chemicals. Now I am working on the Japanese knotweed. Using Roundup here to go into the roots, but not completely effective. Tilling the soil just breaks the roots up, and each root fragment becomes a plant. I hope to get rid of them too if I live long enough.

[@pattymassey5357]

Love that you teach me new interesting things

[@theindianvlog5990]

we too in The India have such invasive spices , after cutting the tree make a lil well in the stem and pour any concentrated acid with a medium level of dilution so that roots gets rotten in a period of time

[@profquad]

The Indian Vlog wow cool idea! was just dealing with a young one, dug the roots tried to block off the ends of them.

[@borisnemtsov1470]

That tree is invasive here in California, as well. I have been in my current home for 6 years and have watched as a single huge tree on the side yard has completely taken over the entire yard and then some. The worst thing you can do is cut it down without applying herbicide. Once cut down the tree will sprout vigorously from the roots. You will find a lot of new growth come springtime. An established tree has an incredible root system and the suckering goes into overdrive when the main tree dies. So, watch out. Get that new growth before the tap root forms and use a poison on the large trees. Good luck!

[@SofiNme365]

Boris Nemtsov How do you get the new growth? Thanks.

[@everettduncan7543]

An Indian guy said you could get some acid and pour it in

[@LindaPenney]

Awesome update thank you sharing and have a blessed day

[@thechubbyfiles1563]

Love love love your videos

[@jasonlombardi472]

great video! thank you for showing me!

[@shannonkieta8496]

You and Bri are my inspirations...please do not ever leave you tube

[@josephg.3370]

I never of that tree before. Thanks for sharing!

[@levetamcclellan8551]

OH MY GOODNESS That is my favorite movie of all time ‘a tree grows in Brooklyn ‘, never knew it was from a book. Guess I’ll add that to my Christmas wish list, I’m gonna Have to have that book

[@35806willnala]

I'm over run by these trees from HELL

[@bobrousse8593]

Art, I just watched this video and my first thought was a hugelkulture bed, but I see Ryan B already suggested that. PS I also noticed that you commented on a Swedish Homestead video. I follow that channel as well as Justin Rhodes. Funny how we sort of form a community. Blessings to you and your family.

[@goodgravy3047]

I read that by cutting the tree down entirely, the tree will respond by sending out suckers to sprout up everywhere in defense.

[@MrMrannoying]

That's what he said in this very video that you just commented on...

[@goodgravy3047]

@@MrMrannoying how nice of you to notice. Well done!

[@metoo3821]

Husquavara makes quality products, but it appears you need a larger axe to make felling those trees easier.

[@niki364]

We've had problems with Paulownia tomentosa or Princess Tree here at the house. The tree grows so fast and spreads like crazy. The leaves are HUGE and it colonizes by root sprouts. The first one started right next to the foundation of the house. Every year we cut down more of these and try to kill the root system but so far we haven't stopped it. Good luck with your Trees from Hell. Hope you have better luck than we have!

[@BobbleheadHomestead]

Could you make some hügelkultur beds out of them? Or chipped into mulch? They'll end up being fertilizer one way or another.

[@Brifromscratch]

Yes, I have read about hugelkultur beds but need to learn more. I am basically making linear brush piles which will turn into nice beds in a couple years. This wood rots really fast.

[@amyjohnson7834]

oh and I forgot to mention that the center of a 50 foot one landed on my mother in laws van and garage so you are right about them being rotten to the core!

[@Pocketfarmer1]

The wood is used to make the rings of “bamboo” steamers. It takes a pro kiln to dry it effectively.or so I have heard.

[@masterprogrammer8332]

It's coming back for us even 5 years after I cut down the main tree. The original stump is gone, completely rotten in that short period, but I'm cutting 1-meter tall suckers in the spring and also in the fall. If I forget one, it can grow about 3 metres in just the 7 months of the growing season. I firmly believe the root itself can live forever without any tree attached to it at all. This plant is a curse.

[@MrMrannoying]

Once you cut the big tree, how can one deal with the suckers after wards? Do you just snap them all off with your hand once it is tall enough? Would that be enough to kill the suckers?

[@nauticalnovice9244]

I have about 6 of these trees in my garden that are already at a decent size, if you can contain it then I don't see why you'd wanna get rid of it.

[@jlgoch55]

Another nature lesson. 😊

[@brittcorley]

I know this is an old video, but I saw a lot of people suggesting hugelkultur and just wanted to chime in and say that ailanthus trees contain toxins that act as herbicides, killing competing plants. This effect may wear off after the wood has had time to break down, I really don't know for sure, but I think it's something worth looking into before taking a chance and ending up with a mess in your garden.

[@Brifromscratch]

Thanks.

[@magana559]

How to propagate more trees of heaven

[@softlyandtenderly8299]

Hugelkultur is what I thought of when I saw this video too, although fresh cut wood isn't recommended it still can be used on the outside to hold the rest of the structure together, not sure if this tree would actually work for that though since it's so brittle. We have these crappy trees too, they are so hard to get rid of, although when we had goats they did eat them. We also have privet everywhere as well, some say goats can't eat them but our goats sure loved them as other people says their goats ate them as well. Animals know what they can and can't ingest for the most part, we had a couple of older goats so we weren't worried about them eating something they weren't supposed to, because they were old enough to tell if it was edible or not. Be safe out there!

[@Brifromscratch]

Thanks.

[@frankfichera3093]

10 they're saying not to cut the tree but to treat it with a herbicide to effectively control the tree system. How do you feel about that? And why cut it in the winter time as opposed to the summertime?

[@Jemalacane0]

If I had a patch of ailanthus, I would do a growing season prescribed burn then follow up regrowth with herbicide.

[@gr6666]

Chinese call it "stinky tree". I've been dealing with the saplings from a large tree (not on our property) by digging out the entire root and saplings can grow fast in hidden places. Cutting the top off does not kill it... so remove the root. From what I have read, you will get the medusa effect cutting down this tree, so poisoning it first seems to be the prescribed method. Then you cut it down. The roots store a lot of energy. They are an invasive species because the leaves act as an herbicide intent on killing everything else growing below it.

[@jdfjfjjfjfjfjfj]

Its actually a really rare dish in Korea, that tastes quite good and nutritious. Fry the leaves, give it a taste

[@cristinahasty4524]

I killed before after cutting every evening came down to it removing all new growth one season. The next year it didn't come back cause it couldn't store food for winter

[@aron8949]

Heaven!!!! I am from the desert so any shade and wind break is appreciated, with a little bit of wood chips to dilute the tree of heaven I can grow anything around it no problem. The more I cut on them the more mulch I have for my swales and fruit trees.

[@suzanneburford5377]

good job.

[@inchristalone25]

I hate this tree! We had it in our yard and once I found it it was spreading so fast I chopped all the suckers down and killed the mother tree. I think it causes allergies too.

[@90az11]

not sure why this video was in my recommended list...have you thought of using tannerite in helping to remove the tree since its so brittle?

[@Brifromscratch]

Not sure if it is legal in NC and it is pretty hard to hide. Will look into it.

[@PolAdd22]

I have seen ailanthus grow on abandoned roofs...like..how they even do it without being a nitrogen fixer?

[@rsoubiea]

oh yes here in the US there was a period where everybody had that black or red lacquer furniture it was all the rage. the wood on that tree looks like balsa wood or something similar anyway.

[@darthvader5300]

Somebody tried to turn it into charcoal with success but they have to use dry tree of heaven wood. Then an another group develop an another charcoal making machine to use the waste heat to dry the wood on top before it is turned into charcoal and it was a success. They then decided to make the entire process mechanically automated and self-feeding and self-cleaning using the CUSAB technological principle (Charcoal using Useless Shrubs And Bushes) and using some of the heat of the charcoal making process to produce steam generating electricity. That was all way back in the early 1980s. The team and their papers are still around but are very difficult to contact. Good Luck.

[@lindapearson4193]

We have a tree that is evasive here in California. It reminds me of your tree, but it's worse. We cut down a very large tree and dug up the roots, but you can't leave any of it in the ground. My husband accidentally buried a piece of the tree and later found it while turning the soil. The small piece of the tree that was buried was sprouting. Needless to say, we spend a lot of time cutting down small trees.

[@chrispileski6640]

You had a tree that ran away?

[@Jonathan-tr9tx]

man, I hate that tree, and it smells funny too. I found a small one on our property last year, I hope it doesn't spread. I used to just cut off the bark in a circle around the base to kill the trees.

[@07hunterg]

I heard from a mushroom grower that the mulch for lions mane cultivation.

[@Brifromscratch]

Neat.

[@bunga371]

The wood doesn’t stink when burned only when it’s cut

[@livinglife8333]

We have those and they are def the trees from hell. 😡 they pop up all over the darn place and grow super fast!!!!! They are hard to kill.

[@dorascott8286]

Nice going....

[@ypcomchic]

Are all of those trees around you tree of heaven? You need some herbicide. Make notches all around trunk and spray with herbicide late summer only. Do to all the trees.

[@trippster68]

I have been fighting these for control of my hillside, half-wild backyard in Los Angeles. I have mixed feelings about controlling them, because (1) in an epoch of climate change they are, after all, trees- which want to grow where other trees have not been so eager - (2) annual hack 'em down techniques have only made them spread faster, and (3) I have strong unfavorable opinions about herbicides. I've now reached the point at which I'm going to attempt to plant natives species, and unless I am willing to dig the root system out of the entire hillside, which will kill most of the plants I'm trying to preserve, as well as requiring a tremendous amount of labor. I have grudgingly come to admit I'll have to use herbicides. I did manage to kill off one well-established root system growing out of a gap between a retaining wall and a driveway with common salt. However, nothing will grow there now - which in that case was the desired effect. For the areas where I want other plants to continue to grow, I am going to experiment with the highly selective herbicide method described in this video and "hack and squirt" (since mine are not all that large yet): kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3yviGWKjbhkoMk

[@MaritsaDarman]

Hi there; have you looked into repurposing this evasive tree? I was thinking something could be done with them. They are HORRIBLE Horrible the worst.

[@goldencroaker9718]

here in texas we have the chinease tallow tree. wood does not stink.

[@hebneh]

This tree is an outstanding example of a terrible invasive pest that lacks any natural methods of control in North America. Most plants introduced from other locations don't act as terrible as this one, but this result is always possible, and you never know it might happen till it's too late.

[@clifb.3521]

we are experimenting with stripping the leaves off TOH in our town. no leaves. no food. we'll see yo

[@rosesnewbeginning3547]

Hello art. 1 big valuable use it can have for you homestead is biomass for your garden. Hugelculture to be exact. I know your permaculture virus of things so I think you might know this.. but all that light stinky wood if you burry it in your garden space it would be a fertilizer as in biomass carbon and composting underneath the ground. And cuz it is light as its breaking doen it aerates your soil sooner then other woods and the biomass in your ground would go way up and that's a god thing. Lasagna style gardening with the grass and manure can still be done on top. And if you mix the Chinese tres with some other woods the hugelculture lasts longer. Oak berch poplar bury some of those branches and leaves over the stems and put the grass sodds uoside down. Spread out manure sow a cover crop like your mom had harry vech in her garden or rye. Until you have good fencing for the dear. And be ready to plant. It would improve your soil so much! Hope you read this and it helps good luck eradicating that tree. Hope before the flowers set seed this summer your well on your way to chopped them all. Kind regards rose

[@MCGDEC]

I think the best way to eliminate these trees is to skin portions of the bark use a root poison on those area's in the fall so the poison is transferred to the root system killing the ability of the tree to sprout from the roots. Once the tree is dead next year you can cut it down. Cutting the tree down as shown will create more trees via the existing root system.

[@earlwilliams5473]

Put it in a big planter and cut off seeds. No problem. Nice fast growing bush. Very decorative weed.

[@ezrabiggs8763]

Hugelkulter beds?

[@Brifromscratch]

Good idea.

[@jasonwebster952]

you killed two trees with one "stone" or hachet

[@yairgaitangaitan2240]

This is not low-quality wood this make great walking sticks

[@blueeyephil]

One of the uses for this wood is to make charcoal for black powder. This is supposed to be one of the best woods for that purpose. You could make a lot of fireworks with charcoal from that tree. Good luck in you fight with them. Anyone who will use a hatchet to cut down a tree that size has my respect.

[@amyjohnson7834]

we call them stinky trees here. don't smell your hands after pulling them out! they are everywhere here in CA and produce millions of seeds and hundreds of saplings! they were banned here but too late as they even outperform as here in this drought.

[@Brifromscratch]

Wow.

[@nauticalnovice9244]

I actually like the smell

[@humblehalfacre8464]

The trees also grow straight and VERY tall ( tree of heaven) in order to shade out the understory trees and plants. GET RID OF THEM!!! P.S. get rid of Bradford pear too!!!

[@mulberryhomestead288]

Does it smell like manure? We have mystery wood we cut this year and we call it poop wood because it smells so bad cut and burnt...I wonder if it could be that?

[@Brifromscratch]

Probably. The wood smells more like a strong chemical.

[@dragonflygrandma]

Timber!

[@yesec9]

Update: This tree is the preferred feeding source for the Spotted Lanternfly which is plaguing the northeast US. Another reason to hate this tree.

[@suzisaintjames]

Going after the females first was a great suggestion which I'd like to make an addition: In the fall when the females make the seed clusters, go around and mark them. Commercial foresters use an X or pink tape to mark trees coming down. But why not get the kids involved? They can help find the males and they could decorate them with happy faces or some other cute design. (I can just see a forest of trees with happy faces). Then you know that if no design, then it's one to cut down. By the time you are ready to cut down the males, the design will be faded and you won't lose that fabulous artwork! Too bad you can't find a friend or barter for some time on a chipper. xoxo

[@robertharrold4214]

fek , interesting things are interesting.

[@craigmooring2091]

A tree that falls in a diabolical direction cannot be heaven sent.

[@jaimesac3302]

3:14 golf dom

[@onedazinn998]

lol well we both know there are uses for this tree o.- ...sure enough it's called Tree of Heaven because it's food for the silk worm - a treasure to be sure. ah hah! now you need to have a silkworm farm Art! lol I'd hugelkulture that wood & run your goats in there spring sapling time (research it to see if the bark /leaves are toxic to ingest for goats first) then plant your trees you want growing in there. Good luck! ((ps...if you want to grow those silkworms you gather the cocoons they make you don't have to butcher them! ;))

[@softlyandtenderly8299]

Hugelkultur is what I thought of when I saw this video too, although fresh cut wood isn't recommended it still can be used on the outside to hold the rest of the structure together, not sure if this tree would actually work for that though since it's so brittle.

[@LORDVADER357]

Tree of heaven. I want to multiply this tree and make huge forest of such trees. So i shake the trees and seeds fly at huge perimeter around. Especialy on windy days. Broken parts of the trees i use for throwing sticks and longer ones for poles and shake the seeds and they fly like rain around... plus i collect the seeds from large clusters falling on the ground. Put the seeds in bag and walk around and throw the seeds so i can scatter them even more.

[@lionboy546]

Hell

[@mr.lowermerion5585]

He is saying it wrong its pronounced Ailanthus the t and the h are said together

[@MsCaterific]

Tree from hell.

[@SanaUllah-tp5cm]

Haha

[@drhansens]

comment.