Only time I see silver maples doing well in crowded conditions is along waterways (they do fine in the open). Any one in an oak forest never thrives from the competition of oaks, hickories, black cherries, black walnuts, sugar maples, etc, as they don't have the adaptations for competing w/those species. But here's a forest-grown one in Ozaukee Co, WI. It is in a riverine-species-type forest......