stop/slow down the core of a tree rotting out?

[johncedarhill]

You guys are always pretty handy and knowledgeable about a lot of stuff so before I go running around town looking for a product if available I thought I would ask you guys. To make a long story short I discovered that the big Oak in the center of my yard has a pretty deep rotting core starting at the main crotch about 10 feet above the ground. My neighbor cabled the branches to help support them. Is there any product which can be poured into the hollow to help slow the deterioration? I thought about concrete or mortar poured into the core or a plastic pipe and then concrete around it. This is probably not a good idea. I would like to keep it as long as possible. Any ideas are welcomed.

thanks

[bnations]

John,

I bought a house with a tree that sounds much like yours once.  The previous owner had filled it with concrete, and I didnt' notice until too late.  During a storm one night, the tree split right down the middle top to bottom.  What I didn't know then is that concrete doesn't give when the tree moves and sways.  Instead, it sort of grinds the tree from the inside out like a giant rasp.  

You should probably call in a professional arborist, as the heart rot is actually caused by fungi.  They might be able to kill that off and then recommend an appropriate course of action to take to save the rest of the tree (if possible).

[johncedarhill]

Thanks that is why I was thinking of a a plastic pipe center.  I pretty much have had my fill of the "arborists" around here.  How long before the tree busted??

[bnations]

It's hard to say for sure because the concrete was there when I purchased the house, so I don't know when he had actually poured it into the tree.  I owned the home for a couple of years before it gave way, though.  If you don't trust the locals, then google will have to be your friend.  Here's a good page on what you could do to fix your tree.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/text/tree_damage.html