I would guess your tree is at least 50 years old. It looks like no attempt has ever been made to train it into a bearing fruit tree. There are several hollow areas full of water and rot. If this were my tree I would remove it and atart over. Al

Evilgriff:

I really agree with Al. I wouldn't try to rejuvenate an apple tree that is that old and in that kind of condition. There is nothing to be saved. I would estimate that tree is about 40 feet tall, and at least 50 years old, perhaps more than 75. Even if you were successful in pruning the tree down in stages, over a period of years, you would still have an old, rotten frame beneath.

I would take it down completely, and plant a vigorous young apple tree in its place. If you believe the particular apple variety is unusual and worth saving, you could put in a rootstock and place some scions of the old tree in refrigeration for grafting next spring. However, I am inclined to doubt that the apples produced by this old tree would be superior to the many fine varieties available today -- and on semi-dwarfing rootstocks that limit growth to a reasonable and manageable size.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Without a scale for depth or height, there's really no way to measure the height of the tree from the picture, but it looks like it could be a lot taller than 30' or 40' to me. It would be interesting to know just how tall it was.

Is the tree productive? Does it pose a danger to property or safety if limbs fall? If the tree's survival is really your concern, then I agree with the above posters that pruning it is highly unlikely to lengthen it's life. It could possibly make the tree temporarily safer if that is a concern. It might even affect productiveness.