treeseer- It's 50 out today! I can't wait!
DUGs-sawshop- You bet I did, three times and I have to go back for interviews. I almost died on the second trip up, remember that snow blizzard you guys got on the 18th? Well I went off the road and the ass end of the VW was halfway in a 3 lane highway at 3am. I though that was the end.
silverzuk- Ok, for 1 yes they are the most commonly seen subspecies of the Maple family. However with that being said, out of all the subspecies of the Maple family the Rubrum is at the bottom of the list for reaching maturity. Reds take the longest to reach their maturity and are rarely seen past this age of my trees. For 2 its my family's tree, generations of tree houses have been built in it and it was (before 2008) the most beautiful red with an extremely wide canopy between all the limbs, forestry department even said they might be sending someone out here this summer to measure its trunk for a record book (17.5'ish) The root flare alone is amazing to me.
I am going to try not to cut anything major off right away there is virtually NO scars anywhere the tree has never been pruned in its rough 300 years of being there. Although weight reduction is needed, I have been told not to top it for longevity. I would love to see it cabled together so it moves as a whole and dosent flex the inclusive bark.