Camphor Trees in Volusia County: Big, Brittle and Invasive

Crush a camphor leaf and you get that clean medicinal smell, and a lot of people in Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach are fond of the big one in the yard for exactly that reason. It shades the whole lot, it is evergreen, and it got that size in what feels like no time.

That last part is the problem. Camphor is one of the fastest-growing large trees in our area, and fast growth in a tree almost always means weak wood. Add a habit of forking into multiple heavy stems and you have a tree that we take off houses more often than most people would guess.

Where camphor came from and why it is everywhere

Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is an Asian tree that was planted across Florida as a shade and ornamental species. It escaped, and it is now listed as an invasive in Florida. Birds spread the black berries, and camphor seedlings come up in fence lines, hedges and the back corners of lots all over Volusia County. If you have one big one, you probably have a dozen small ones you have not noticed.

Being invasive is not by itself a reason to remove a mature tree that is doing its job. But it is worth knowing that nobody is going to make you replace it, and that the seedlings coming up around the property are worth pulling while they are small.

The structural problem

Camphor tends to grow as a broad, multi-stemmed tree with several large codominant leaders coming off a short trunk. Those unions often have included bark, which means the stems are pressed together rather than truly attached. As the stems get heavier the union is loaded more every year, and camphor wood does not have the strength to compensate.

The failure pattern we see is consistent: a large limb or an entire stem tears out at the union, usually in a summer thunderstorm rather than a named hurricane, and usually on the side that was hanging over something. Camphor also tends to develop internal decay behind old pruning wounds and storm breaks faster than oak does.

If you have a mature camphor with multiple stems over a roof, a pool enclosure or a driveway, that is a tree worth having assessed rather than admired. Our tree risk assessment post explains what we actually look at.

Roots and the rest of the yard

Camphor roots are aggressive and shallow. They lift driveways and sidewalks, they get into old clay sewer laterals, and they make it nearly impossible to grow much of anything under the canopy. The leaf litter also has a mild allelopathic effect, which is the botanical way of saying not much wants to grow in it.

None of that is a hazard. It is just a description of what living with a big camphor looks like, and it explains why the tree that seemed like a gift when you bought the house becomes a maintenance line item.

Can a camphor be pruned into shape?

Sometimes. A younger camphor with a single dominant leader can be structurally pruned to keep it that way, and that work is cheap while the cuts are small. A middle-aged tree with two or three main stems can sometimes be reduced to cut the leverage on the worst unions, and a cable and brace system can hold a union that has not yet split.

What does not work is topping. Camphor responds to topping with a dense flush of weakly attached sprouts that become the next generation of failures, faster than on almost any other tree we work on. If somebody offers to "cut it back hard" to make it safer, that is the opposite of what will happen.

When removal is the right call

We recommend removing a camphor when:

• A main stem has already split or shows a crack at the union
• There is significant decay at the base or in a major stem over a target
• The tree is multi-stemmed, mature, and centered over the house with no way to reduce the load meaningfully
• It has been topped before and the regrowth is now heavy

Removal of a big camphor is a real job. The wood is heavy, the canopy is wide, and there is usually no clean drop zone on a residential lot, so it is rigged out in sections or taken with a crane. Our tree removal page covers how we plan that kind of work. Grind the stump afterward, because camphor sprouts from stumps and roots with real enthusiasm.

What to plant instead

If you take out a camphor and want shade back, live oak is the obvious answer in coastal Volusia. It is slower, but it is the tree that is still standing after the storm. Southern magnolia is another good option where the site suits it.

Frequently asked questions

Is camphor protected in Volusia County?

Camphor is listed as an invasive species in Florida, and invasive species are generally exempt from tree protection ordinances. Check with your municipality before removal anyway, because rules vary by jurisdiction and by trunk size, and a quick call costs nothing.

Why does my camphor drop limbs when there is no storm?

Camphor is prone to summer limb drop, where a heavy limb fails on a calm, hot afternoon. The wood is weak, the limbs are long, and the tree carries a lot of water weight in the growing season. A sudden drop on a still day is a sign the tree deserves a look.

Can I just cut the small camphors down myself?

Yes, and you should, while they are small. Cut them and treat the stump immediately, or they will resprout. The seedlings in a hedge line are the easiest tree problem you will ever solve.

Does the smell keep bugs away?

Camphor oil is a repellent, and the tree is fairly pest-free. It is still susceptible to root and butt decay fungi and to structural failure, which are the things that actually bring it down.

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ArboristRX assesses, prunes and removes camphor trees across Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, Port Orange, Oak Hill and the rest of Volusia County. See our service areas or call (386) 444-5959.