Leaning maple, split trunk

21 years ago

I need some help regarding what or if I should do anything with this tree. To start off with, it has sentimental value to my wife. She helped raise her nephew, and it was a tree he planted.

However, it wasn't "trained" or really tended to well when it was in early growth. The trunk split into two separate, smaller trunks. One is about 8 inches in diameter, the other 6 inches in diameter. They both list towards the house, the larger one worse. The larger one is about 20 degrees from vertical, the smaller about 10 degrees.

It's easily 40, probably 50 feet tall. It's only 27 feet away from the house, leaning directly toward the kitchen. The larger segment also has higher limbs that overhang the service cable from the power pole to the house.

We live in an area that gets fairly rough weather during tornado season, although we don't see tornados here annually. The worst weather usually blows in from the west, in the same direction the tree is leaning.

She's adamant about not cutting it down. I told her it's an accident waiting to happen. Am I being paranoid, or are my fears justified? She suggested removing the part that leans the most, but I told her I couldn't guarantee it would live anyway. She countered that with the fact that our neighbor cut down an elm tree, but it kept bushing out from the stump. Her reasoning is, if a tree can survive being cut down to three feet, it can survive having half of it removed.

I'm no arborist, so I was just wondering what someone more knowledge thought. Here are a couple of pictures:

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

jean001
21 years ago
Oops! One of those two stems should have been removed in its first year.

But now that you're this far down the line, I'd suggest having a certified arobrist or two come out for an onsite evaluation.

You need a certified arborist knowlegeable about evaluating hazard trees.
davek913
Original Author
21 years ago
I kind of figured I would need to get someone out here. I also visited a forum for arborists that I found, and while their suggestions seem to be sound, it's nothing I could do myself.

I wasn't here when it was in the early stages of growth, but my wife said it was accidentally mowed over when it was a seedling. I imagine that had something to do with it. My wife's parents lived with her at the time and her father did his own version of yard work.

Thanks for the reply!
Related Professionals
Crestview Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Charlotte Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Erie Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Montréal Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Sebring Landscape Contractors · Middlesboro Landscape Contractors · Hartford Landscape Contractors · Aurora Landscape Contractors · Worcester Landscape Contractors · Bozeman Landscape Contractors · Effingham Architects & Building Designers · Joplin Architects & Building Designers · Worcester Architects & Building Designers · Marquette Architects & Building Designers · Westerly Architects & Building Designers
bogi
20 years ago
Hi,
I am from minnesota, and have the same problem, only with a much larger sugar maple. I saw a program where they went up in the tree about 1/2 way up and drilled through the trunks of each of the halves and inserted large "eye" bolts through each of them. Then they tied them together with 3/4" cable. At the trunk, they drilled three holes at 120 deg spacing around it and inserted three "long" ready rods all the way through the trunk, then bolted them up. Apparently the tree will grow around all the forign metal and eventually envelop it.

Has anyone had any experience with this....or other ideas?

Thanks..... Bob
bogi
20 years ago
Correction.....that should read SILVER maple, that i have. (I was in the wrong part of the yard) :)
myersphcf
20 years ago
Yes there are ways to save it and the "rodding" is one solution ....It looks to me as if it will not split since it's so far down the trunk I might have a differnt opinion if it were higher up...but i wouldn't guarantee it!! Silver maples are not that soft( even though they are considered soft maples and REALLY fast growers) and I rarely see limbs down after storms of silver maples but they are NOT sugar maple hardness. If it were mine and I wanted to keep it( silver maples are not "great trees" but if it's sentimental that's NOT important) I'd just have it properly trimmed and leave it but keep your insurance policy up to date and consider having it rodded as the other postie said.... David