Carpenter Ants! Is Tree Still Healthy

[Donnie Maple]

I have a very large maple tree which had a large branch damaged in a winter storm a few years back. Carpenter Ants got into the branch and I had it removed. It looks like the ants dug into the main tree. I love this tree and would like to keep it but I am unsure if it is still healthy or not. I have read that maple trees actually can heal themselves. All the leaves are green and I really do not see any other dead limbs on the tree. Here are 2 pictures to show the damage. This tree is by my house and if it is compromised beyond repair I would have to take it down. Will this tree survive?? Thanks

 

[Jason Douglas]

Problem is wood decay, not the ants that eat decayed wood.

 

[JeffGu]

Yeah, carpenter ants aren't termites. They don't actually eat wood, they're not equipped to digest wood cellulose. They build their colonies in wood that is already softened up by decay. They can't burrow into healthy, solid wood.
It's normal to see the ants on any tree... that's where they do a lot of their foraging and scouting for colony sites. If they have a colony in the main stems or trunk of the tree, then there is interior decay. The bait type ant poisons will kill the colony, but won't stop the decay. The tree may or may not be compromised enough to warrant removal, but you really need to get an arborist out to evaluate the tree... one that is qualified to do risk assessment.

That looks like a recent cut that hasn't had time to callous over or compartmentalize, but the fracturing and older callous wood (previous storm damage) would indicate that the tree was compartmentalizing the damage. That, and the overall good health of the tree would seem to indicate that removing the tree now is unwarranted. If you're worried about it, then get it assessed by all means. But it certainly looks like a good candidate for letting it mend itself and enjoying the benefits of a large shade tree for a couple more decades. If it starts to deteriorate further, then definitely get someone out to look at it that knows what they're doing.

 

[ArtB]

Just for fun, and education and exercise as folks jump on my neck:

My grandpa would have mixed up some cement and fine sand and filled the voids, then tarred over the whole mess.
Maybe that still works, but not PC?

Couple of fruit trees (apple, cherry) Gpa did that to in the 20s were still bearing when I was a kid (1950's).
Pop tarred over a silver maple split by edge of a tornado circa 1952, the tree died in 2001 after city dug into roots redoing sewer lines.

 

[JeffGu]

Well, it didn't outright kill the tree... that's all the science I need! Let's try it on open chainsaw wounds and in lieu of sutures to close surgical cuts!

You know, people used to drain the "bad blood" out of sick folks, too. It didn't always kill them outright... sometimes it did. I would like to think we've moved beyond the "it didn't kill grandpa, so it must work" phase of scientific discovery. Perhaps I'm mistaken.

Besides, everybody knows you fill cavities in maple trees with used car batteries and silly putty.

 

[Donnie Maple]

I have read that you are not supposed to tar maple trees because they can heal themselves and this is actually bad (not sure if this is true). And yes the cut is fresh. It was to remove about 5 foot of limb that was still hanging on the tree split and housing the ants.

Also while inspecting the tree found that another limb broke off probably decades ago. The limb pointed up. Now there is a 8 inch diameter circle into the trunk of the tree and 6 inches deep where the limb was and it's opened to the sky, it has a pool of standing water in it. Is this bad and if so how should I fix that??

 

[ArtB]

how should I fix that

Fill it with concrete

 

[JeffGu]

Well, in the absence of pics, I can only say that cutting off any stub to the branch collar and possibly making a "V" cut at the bottom of the wound so the water drains out is probably your best option.
The strangest thing I ever tried was using a piece of EPDM rubber flashing (a roofing product) screwed to the tree above the wound to form a sort of roof that kept rain water out of the wound. I attached it about 3 inches above the wound, into sound bark, and caulked the joint up with butyl rubber caulking (seam caulk used for gutter joints). The trick is not to close the wound off, but leave good airflow. I cleaned out the loose decay and hosed it down with Raid ant and roach spray, and removed the makeshift roof four years later, when the wound had healed beautifully.

Concrete and urethane foam seem like a good idea, but they trap moisture in and usually make things much worse, not better. You wouldn't leave plastic wrap over a cut, because that would just make a nice breeding ground for the organisms that will give you septicemia. It's not much different for the tree. The organisms causing the decay love a damp, dark environment. Wind and sunshine is what they really don't like.