Pruning maple trees is best done in late spring, as the leaves start coming on.

Structure pruning is good to do and should be done over a period of several years and started when the tree is young.

Dead, diseased or damaged branches can be removed anytime.

How far is that tree from the house? The picture makes it look too close for a tree that eventually will get huge. If it's closer than about 20ft, I'd just remove it and get a better specimen and plant it further from the house.

Looking at your first picture, I would remove the left most 3 top leaders, leaving the larger one that has already taken an upright growth pattern.

There are plenty of structure pruning tutorials on the www to get tips from.

Here's one of them.

Actually spring-pruned maples bleed badly so that late summer or early autumn is the preferred time. With tall growing maples like the example shown here it is desirable to retain the central leader for as long as possible. It had a central leader and then was either unwisely topped to promote density or was induced to fork badly by other circumstances. (Pruning stubs show there were even more sprouts from the same point on the main stem previously than are present now, with in addition the radical change in diameter from that of the main stem below the forking to the replacement stems above the forking also suggesting the tree was topped). So probably the best move at this time is to select the one of the four that appears to have the best placement and orientation, cut the other three out.

On another subject leaf outlines shown by introducing nursery have made me think in the past this one is a Freeman maple:

http://jfschmidt.com/introductions/redpointe/index.html

And detailed description of leaf shape, perhaps certain other features given here may also indicate a silver maple involvement:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=PP16769.PN.&OS=PN/PP16769&RS=PN/PP16769

And if course I can see comparatively close views of the leaves in your first shot here, which continue to make me suspect an Acer rubrum x A. saccharinum parentage. If so then it is likely to have more drought tolerance than a red maple.

" Actually spring-pruned maples bleed badly so that late summer or early autumn is the preferred time. "

Again we have ambiguous suggestions that only hold true under certain circumstances. Spring pruned maples will bleed, *if* it is done too early. Once the tree has flowered, and the leaves expand, Reds or Silvers are done with excessive sap flow and you can safely prune.

See tree pruning calendar for correct times of year to prune:

Maples that I (used to) prune in late Fall, bled worse than any other time of the year. Even during warm spells during the late fall and early spring time. So I wouldn't do the Nov. or Dec. because the tree doesn't do any healing or closing of wounds when it is in a dormant state, so a late pruned tree will bleed just like you tapped it for syrup when early spring arrives.

At least they do for me.

And I posted to do it in late summer or early fall.

Maybe different in Pugetopolis, but any Maple that I've pruned after July or maybe a week or so into August, has given me trouble all winter.

Once it gets cold or near freezing here, and that can happen as early as September but usually end of October, and we get a warm sunny spell, the trees start pushing sap, just like it was spring.

I found that out the hard way when I pruned my maples in August and into first week of Sept. last year. After getting cold weather for a while, it warmed up several time between October and March and each time the trees flowed/dripped, just like when you make syrup.

That oozing flow of sap running down the trunk, seemed to attract critters too.

So maybe you'll get away with it where winters are not that cold, idk.

But May, June & July are strictly my maple pruning times.

Edited: Had months entered wrong. 7:55 pm

Thanks for the responses. The tree is not yet planted so that is why it looks so close to the house, had it tucked in against the house so wind cant blow it over. It is going to be planted in the very back of the yard. I have an older norway maple I believe to be girdled and in decline. The purpose of this tree is to grow quick and provide some privacy so when the norway comes down in a few years something is there while a slower growing sugar maple can be planted.

If I remove 3 of the 4 leaders wont it leave a big hole in the canopy and forever have a really crooked form? Also everything I read says to limit the amount of pruning you do at once so should I take just 1 off a year?

I also read about suborindation cuts, should I leave 1 leader and remove the other 3 or would it be ok to leave 1 leader and perform these suborindation cuts on 1 or 2 other leaders to form future branches and only remove 1 leader completely?

Also on a side note I'm assuming this root is bad and the tree might be root bound. When planting do I just cut this root or do I need to excavate the root mass to see where it originates?

"If I remove 3 of the 4 leaders wont it leave a big hole in the canopy and forever have a really crooked form?"

No, the remaining dominant leader will continue to grow, expand in diameter and produce more side branches. A tree that is pruned will look like it's been pruned and will take a couple of years to get the look you want. If in doubt consult an Arborist and/or have one do the pruning for you.

"I also read about suborindation cuts, should I leave 1 leader and remove the other 3 or would it be ok to leave 1 leader and perform these suborindation cuts on 1 or 2 other leaders to form [future[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/help-with-red-maple-dsvw-vd~5461663) branches and only remove 1 leader completely?"

No, those extra leaders are at too steep of an angle, you want to train the tree to grow as a single leader, with branches extending out at more of a horizontal fashion. Maples are more challenging this way because their tendency is to have steep angles on their branches.

Several of the lower branches will not doubt need to be subordinated.

"Also everything I read says to limit the amount of pruning you do at once so should I take just 1 off a year?"

Those leaders should have been pruned a couple of years ago. Before they became as dominant as the are. It's going to take longer to repair the neglect. Maples are fast growers and will fill in after a couple of years but more, light pruning will be needed over that time to create the full crown that you desire. This can take several years as I mentioned previously.

Again, hiring an Arborist might be a good idea if you have absolutely no idea on how to accomplish this.

There a general rule of no more than 25% but smaller trees generally can take more pruning though you don't want to overdo it too much on the overall removal of leaf producing branches..

Regarding the circling roots:

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/fragile-roots.pdf

Looks good to me.

Next year that 3rd leader may begin to interfere with new branches coming off of the main leader, but you did slow it down and like you say, you can always take it off next year. On a small tree like yours the main leader should still get plenty of sun so starts to push shoots on all sides.

It's always a work in progress pruning trees and as much an art as it is a science. :-)

Yes sure is. I do plan on having an arborist come in to assess a couple trees I believe may be dying. Have planted 5 trees in the last 3 years so want some professional pruning advice as well.