My wife also pointed out today that we've had a number of smaller branches falling off without bark shedding. Not sure these two items are significant.

Is that fungus, seen in pic six and seven? That big, yellowish mass

I do not believe it is fungus. I believe that is exposed wood where the bark has fallen off the tree.

I mean the stuff in the left edge of the pictures. It looks almost like "chicken of the woods". It could also be dead, yellow leaves, it's hard to tell.

Yes, dead leaves from a small branch that fell off of branch higher up that shed it's bark. All of the small branches fall off of the branches that lose their bark.

looks like it was trimmed from the power lines over its life ...

you need to hire a certified isa certified tree surgeon ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=isa+certified+tree+surgeon&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

regardless of your wishes.. you need an on site inspection of the safety and health of this tree .. the WWW isnt good enough ... and if the result is bad.. it has to go ....

its already telling you something is wrong ..... it is falling apart ... and its leaning toward your house ... ....

are you aware of any serious road, sewer or driveway work in the last decade ...

not being there in person ... just on your pix.. i would not be happy about it hanging over my house ....

ken

cut it down, looks like the power co already cut it in half.

It's a reasonably nice Sugar Maple that really needs a certified arborist to come out and cut out the dead branches.

You can easily grow a new sugar maple from seed, or buy one from a nursery/garden center. Next time plant in a better spot.

Jeremy Lonneville, smivies accurately identified your tree and gave you some good advice.

I'm guessing that you are new here? The two posters that recommend removal are two peas in a pod, I would disregard their posts.

No reason to keep 1/2 of a tree. take it out, grow another in a better location.

Get it looked at. My feeling is since its close to your home it is time for removal. Bark coming off en masse is strange and bad.

A shame, bet it is a beautiful tree in fall and winter. Isn't bad in summer either.

I will contacted a certified arborist to come out and look. I think my preference would be trimming off the dead branches and possibly trimming off those branches that are growing directly into my room/neighbors driveway path.

Somme Certified Arborists also have certification to evaluate potentially hazardous trees. Ask 3 of those persons for onsite evaluations.

The debarked limbs don't look that large, and MAY not be that detrimental structurally to the tree. I make many mistakes on here giving advice, but, I think I am right about that. If it were my tree, I would want the tree to be in such bad shape that it would be horribly disfigured, before I would say to go ahead and get rid of it. Sugar Maples grow fairly slow, I THINK and are the only Maple I would choose to grow besides a small Japanese maple that will not get very big. I'm talking shade tree Maple. Love that bark too.

Two arborists have come out. Both agreed that the tree is generally healthy and sound. About 25% of the branches are deadwood and it needs to get trimmed.

thx for the update .. ken

I would have it removed. Is it of any real value to you? It really makes the landscape look terrible. Cut in half......Darn tree butchers from power co........ makes me sick......

If it were my tree, the arborists say it's generally healthy and sound, I would be happy with that, and keep my tree that likely took decades to get that large, and be happy with it. If the pics show a tree that didn't look so structurally sound, ( except for the dead smaller branches, which will get pruned off) I would agree to cut it down. I don't see where it was "cut in half" at all.

Look at the first picture. It is missing all of the branches one one side. It is 1/2 of a tree.

Okay, I kinda see what you mean Logan, but, that can happen in nature if one side of a tree is shaded enough. Unless, there are open gashes that won't heal in the tree trunk, it is really not of any concern. My eyeballs see a nicely healed trunk with no limbs on the side of the tree where there are either wires, or not enough sun. No big deal. If that is how the utility company pruned the tree back, it is the best job I have ever seen done by such an "entity". My family's Eastern white pines have been beheaded over and over or "headed back" and little twigs grow back and sparks fly on the live wires in winter if we get any snow load. I think in those pics, was the best pruning job any utility co could've done. When I heard "half a tree" I imagined someone cutting the main trunk itself and heading back the tree, that is a bad utility pruning job. And they have done that stuff here in my area, and have done it elsewhere in the past. When I was in Florida, I saw a huge Live oak butchered for a power line. I think the tree was there first, they beheaded it. Well, anyhow, Logan and anyone, that pic shows the best way to prune a tree if wires are in the way, well, other than putting wires underground. My opinion maybe. But, I would think others may agree if not no biggie.

I may be judging some peoples thoughts on here unfairly, and maybe I'm the one who's wrong. But, Not all trees are symetrical and perfect. Trees get burls,galls uneven growth if one side is shaded etc. Some times your mulch gets dog vomit fungus and your tree gets Slime Flux. It isn't all perfect, but, it's normal, and no cause to just throw it out and start new. Yes, sometimes you need to get rid of a diseased tree and start with the new, but, I just don't see this (the Op's) tree as a lost case to get rid of. This is likely why ( at least in the US) there won't be many old tree specimens to show future generations. I realize if there is an old tree near a house ready to fall it should be cut down, but, the younger generations (no I'm no crotchety old man) will just get rid of trees that are breaking down, even if they are away from buildings. In the UK, it seems they remove any rotten wood, then fence around them, so nobody will get close enough to get hurt easily. Then the tree continues to put on growth in girth, if not height, and it is a sight to behold, and of great age. I need some unicorn blood to make sure I can be around and make sure nobody cuts down my English oaks and white oaks. I'm kidding about that of course. I don't mean to be ignorant to Logan and anyone. But, trees get better with age, and don't need to be perfect, they are shaped by their environment. In the forest they don't have limbs until many feet up in the tree because of growing in the forest environment. I guess if you are in a HOA neighborhood, and all has to be perfect, you will think if it isn't perfect it has to go.

Not that the tree isn't healthy. I just don't like the look of it. I have 3 L shaped silver maples that I am girdling so that they purposely fall on the utility wires. If they want to mess up MY landscaping they have another thing coming for them. They will be paying for the broken wires/poles not me.

if it does they will get sued!

they destroyed flower beds full of mature hostas, boxwoods, irises, etc. I had to remove it all because it looked so terrible.