I'd do it in the early Spring for the best chance of getting sprouts from the trunk.

Mike

Late winter..... 45 degree angle cut?

Why are they branchless that high? They growing in shade? Have you done anything to change their situationm

so you want to top it???? you will regret it

> Why are they branchless that high?

I do not know.

> They growing in shade?

Surrounding trees of same height,
so, shaded below top parts.

> Have you done anything to change their situationm

I do not understand the part about changing their situation,
but can say that I have not done any anythings.

one other thing.... is this within your ability to do it yourself ...

or will you be paying for multiple visits from the chainsaw guy ...

ken

Um, generally we do pollarding in late winter, during dormancy.... I would be very circumspect about topping in spring having once made a terrible mistake doing just that - sap everywhere. To be honest, if it was my responsibility, I might be doing this in summer, much like topping or pruning prunus or walnut but with caveats. Of course, as a UK person with zero experience of US conditions, you can chuck my response in the bin...but I like to join in.

Why the emotional (or not) response - I love pollarded trees - there is a row of massive London Planes on my road which are done every year (although in winter) which look fantastic in every season...and pollarded willows are wonderful. And linden.

True though, once you go down this road it can be an annual faff and in truth, there is probably a difference between regular topping/pollarding and a one-off cut (which I would be dubious about).

Why is the tree branchless at such a height?

The situation or site of the trees affects their growth. If trees are shaded they try to grow tall and skinny "over" the shade.

My concern is if I plant a bare root small maple in my yard in the sun I have to help prune it into tree shape and limb it up. If I plant it in the shade the growth pattern is quite different. You should see the open grown walnuts and ash here and compare them to the ones in my thicket or across the street in the wooded area. Totally different shapes.

And without changing their situation (how much sun they receive) I am concerned they will try to grow in the same shape as they have.

Oh, and I vote or guess for late winter pruning. Maples are typically early here....when do trees leaf out in your neighborhood? Maybe cut by the Superbowl?

Such drastic uh "pruning" is sure to cause massive wounds which the tree will be completely unable to close. The result will be equally massive pockets of decay, in particular an eventually hollow trunk. If that's okay with you, go for it. Red maples are good trees but are a dime a dozen, fast-growing, and the world is not going to run out of Acer rubrum. Still, a very bad idea in my world, but you isn't living in my world!

+oM

Thanks for all the inputs.

Given the cards dealt, the options seem to be few., would you not say so?
A presentation and evaluation of them :

If there is an existing situation which prevented or removed lower branches then conditions may not be suitable for persisting replacement branches at that height. And red maples are going to look awful topped, with whip-like slender branches coming out and looking as though flailing around from near the tops of the stumps. They are also probably going to bleed if cut during winter.

> slender branches...from
near the tops of the stumps.

Thanks for the description.
I hope that they will be very leafy.

> bleed if
cut during winter.

I am coming to see both that the timing is important,
and widely differing opinions about appropriate time.

Whenever any of you mentions winter, please make clear whether you
mean the calendar season, or your emphasis is on temperature.
The winter cold and warmth here typically alternate in several-day stints.
Some longer spells of each.

How about removal and replacement with a smaller maple which HAS TO branch lower?

Something similar to paperbark maple, Acer gresium (spelling) but not it. I have one and suspect either through buying a cultivar or a different species you can do better.

No no - this is a great chance to get experimental - what's the worst that can happen - death? Then you can get a replacement.

There's a difference I think between the British horticultural outlook and what I'll call the modern American one-we don't tend to ever think a plant should be beaten into submission to perform a certain size or shape function when instead, one could actually plant something that offers whatever that is. Still Camp, you're right-this does offer the opportunity to experiment. It should not be thought however that the endpoint is unknown-such treatment will result in a host of problems for these trees, which this owner may tolerate. But they'll still happen.

+oM

the difference between topping.. and pollarding .... is the pruners understanding that he is creating a situation of long term maintenance ...

if you think you will cut once.. and be done with it... or worse.. leave it for the next owner.... you are mistaken ... it will rot .. in tree years... which would be decades ... it will collapse ... and it will need annual pruning to repair those part which fall off.. in wind storms.. ice/snow.... etc ...

i am not sure you are answering any questions asked ... and keep introducing new variables and personal opinions .... you remind me of my engineer friends.. lol ...

can we see a pic of the situation .... can you do this yourself ... why cant the tree be replaced .... are you prepared to replace or remove if and when it becomes a problem ...???

imho ... bleeding is a natural cleansing response to pruning ... its usually not a big deal ...

i agree with campy ... a great experiment... if you have the budget ... just dont leave it for someone else ...

ken

I am very pleased.

Cool. Any rot from all them cuts? At my sister's they have lost one and will soon loose another to rot from topping cuts.

One cut. At 5' there was nothing more than the trunk.

No rot on this one. It is fairly recent. I will have to look at some from longer past.