Advice On Ash Tree Sprout

[sftong]

Hello Helpers,

I live in central Ohio and I had cut off an Ash Tree infested by Ash Borer, but I did not grind the stump as I think the new sprout would grow much faster than a typical new Ash Tree due to the existing and excellent root system.

Yes, there have been many sprout, and I have cut down all except 2 new sprout that had grown handsomely fast. I left the 2 grow and would decide which one to ax later, if both still remain healthy then. However, recently I found out these 2 new trees stop growing vertically and instead branch out side ways!!
So what should I do to create a new vertical sprout that comes directly from the tip of the top branch? Please see the picture attached.

If both trees remain healthy, I prefer to keep the left one because for whatever reason the wind was bending the trees to the NorthEast, as you can see the right tree is now leaning to the right. The left tree has the old trunk to support it.

So what do I do now? If there is no way to create a new sprout, then should I just ax both trees and let the new one grow? But then again, I suspect this problem would reoccur. I experiment a couple times already over the past year, and some of the new tree sprout would grow so fast to over 6 feet that the trunk is too thin to support the tree and they all collapse eventually under their own weight!

Finally able to slow the growth of these 2 new trees with thicker trunk, but now they no longer growing vertically! Help!

Thanks again,
Sean

 

[ATH]

Replace them with a tree that won't need annual treatments. EAB is here to stay.

If you are going to keep one of these, I think you can trim back all be the straightest sprout. Don't worry about biggest, pick straightest. If none of them are straight, I'd start them over - cut as low to the ground as you can.

 

[sftong]

ATH,

Thanks for the tips.

As seen in the zoom in part of the picture, both the left and right tree has their top Capped, i.e, there is no sprout going up. Both have sprout going sideways as you can see in the zoom-in part of the picture.

So there is no other way to artificially create a sprout at the tip of the tree trunk? Which means I have to cut down these 2 trees ....

Thanks

 

[ATH]

One option would be to bring two of the limbs up and rubberband them together. However, I am betting they will break when you do that.