Silver maple rotten

[camerong]

Thanks for looking at my question.

I bought a house seven years ago, and the tree (I've been told it's a silver maple) in back was absolutely out of control. After having spent thousands of dollars paying professionals to trim it, it still has several large trunks.

When the last two trunks were cut, the arborist said they were rotting and eventually had to go. He didn't say anything about the remaining trunks. Today, there are several big holes that hold water and appear to be rotting. As in the photos, I can stick a metal ruler into the hole several inches.

Do these holes indicate that the tree is rotting? Several of the trunks are perched over our bedroom, and if they were to fall, we might be in danger. Will we eventually need to cut down the rest of the tree? We are considering cutting it down to a stump and planting grass around it. Thanks for any thoughts you have.

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[tree MDS]

I'd be most concerned with that narrow crotch with the included bark. Were any cables installed to help hold things together?

If it were me, I'd probably cut my losses with that thing and have it removed. Maybe grind the stump out and plant something nice like a sugar maple.

 

[jamied]

Do these holes indicate that the tree is rotting? Several of the trunks are perched over our bedroom, and if they were to fall, we might be in danger. Will we eventually need to cut down the rest of the tree? We are considering cutting it down to a stump and planting grass around it. Thanks for any thoughts you have.

It may have been able to compartmentalize and seal off those areas, but if they are continuing to rot then that's a problem. Since this tree is in a position where it could cause danger to your family, there are really only 2 safe answers that people online can give you, 1. remove the tree, or 2. Contact an ISA certified arborist to come out and evaluate the tree.

I'd call an ISA certified arborist for a consult. Many will come out for between free and $100 for a basic evaluation. I'm sure there are many many good arborists out there that are not certified by the ISA, and no offense is intended to them, but when you get an ISA certified arborist, you know that you have someone that at least has been trained properly. If it is being removed, it wouldn't hurt to have someone certified do it since it has the potential to cause massive property damage.

The certified arborists tend to be more expensive, but they also tend to lean towards the side of saving trees if possible.

If you take it out, spend the $75 to $150 to have the stump completely ground out. Then consider planting another tree in the area, make sure it is planted properly, if you do it yourself, come here any ask for help or has the certified arborist put in a new tree. Don't buy a huge expensive tree, I would not spend over around $100. Smaller trees generally transplant much easier and will often get larger than if you purchased a larger more expensive tree, within a few years.

 

[tree MDS]

It may have been able to compartmentalize and seal off those areas, but if they are continuing to rot then that's a problem. Since this tree is in a position where it could cause danger to your family, there are really only 2 safe answers that people online can give you, 1. remove the tree, or 2. Contact an ISA certified arborist to come out and evaluate the tree.

I'd call an ISA certified arborist for a consult. Many will come out for between free and $100 for a basic evaluation. I'm sure there are many many good arborists out there that are not certified by the ISA, and no offense is intended to them, but when you get an ISA certified arborist, you know that you have someone that at least has been trained properly. If it is being removed, it wouldn't hurt to have someone certified do it since it has the potential to cause massive property damage.

The certified arborists tend to be more expensive, but they also tend to lean towards the side of saving trees if possible.

If you take it out, spend the $75 to $150 to have the stump completely ground out. Then consider planting another tree in the area, make sure it is planted properly, if you do it yourself, come here any ask for help or has the certified arborist put in a new tree. Don't buy a huge expensive tree, I would not spend over around $100. Smaller trees generally transplant much easier and will often get larger than if you purchased a larger more expensive tree, within a few years.

This is a pretty good post.

I did mean to specify planting the new tree nearby, not right on the stump hole. If you do decide to go with replanting something close to the old stump, have the treeguy grind an area bigger than the root ball of whatever you're planting. That'll make things easier, and give the tree a better root zone to get established. Not that I'm a certified arborist or anything..

 

[camerong]

Thanks for your responses.

Treemds, there are/were no cables installed. What do you mean about the narrow crotch? Do you mean the trunk coming out to the right (in the picture of the whole tree)? That trunk (if I'm using the correct term) would just fall on a fence and yard, so it does not concern me as much.

Jamied, I will have someone look at it. The thing is, it's not a very attractive tree to begin with, and it is killing much of the grass. So if there will be a significant cost to save the tree, or a significant risk it will cause danger or have to be removed down the line, I will probably just get rid of it. We were planning on spending several hundred dollars putting river rock down around the tree to keep our dogs out of the mud, which I won't have to do if we remove the tree and am able to plant grass there.

You both mentioned I should grind the stump--any particular reason why? Since it is several feet across, I assumed it would be very expensive to grind it to the point that I could plant something else there. If I left a stump there, would it become a hazard down the line?

Thanks again for all of your thoughts.

 

[jamied]

Jamied, I will have someone look at it. The thing is, it's not a very attractive tree to begin with, and it is killing much of the grass. So if there will be a significant cost to save the tree, or a significant risk it will cause danger or have to be removed down the line, I will probably just get rid of it. We were planning on spending several hundred dollars putting river rock down around the tree to keep our dogs out of the mud, which I won't have to do if we remove the tree and am able to plant grass there.

You both mentioned I should grind the stump--any particular reason why? Since it is several feet across, I assumed it would be very expensive to grind it to the point that I could plant something else there. If I left a stump there, would it become a hazard down the line?

Thanks again for all of your thoughts.

It's best not to try and grow grass under a tree anyway. While rock isn't terribly harmful to trees, it isn't all that helpful. Putting down mulch would be far cheaper and far more helpful to the tree.

While some trees will tolerate growing grass directly up to them, your doing any tree a disservice by doing so. My dogs are perfectly happy with the mulch and with several inches of it, it is not muddy at all.

The cost / risk is really only an answer that someone local can give you. It may be as simple as the tree is safe for now and you can do nothing or may need removal.

A stump isn't really a hazard unless your going to trip over it. They are often very slow to rot and you may be looking at it for many years. Grinding out a stump is generally a trivial part of the cost of removing a tree. I can't imagine leaving a stump there for years and years to save $100 ish. Also, while I'd wait some time to plant right in the area where the stump was, if the stump is ground out deeply, you can plant in the same spot again in the near future; though it is generally suggested to plant elsewhere if possible.



[video=youtube;19UZoPQnZGQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19UZoPQnZGQ[/video]

 

[beastmaster]

All good advice. Only reason I am piping in is I have dealt with a lot of silver leaf maples over the years. Most with damaged topping cuts. At least out here they don't seem to compartmentalize very well. Just be wary, plus heed the good advice you've been giving.

 

[ponyexpress976]

While Im no ISA cert...I'v taken out my fair share of silvers and I have yet to cut one that didn't have capenter ants in it. Around here they are almost considered a weed of the maple family...grow fast, make a mess, and snap when a mouse farts 30yds away. Remove and grind, then replace with tree of choice.

 

[audible fart]

One of the biggest regrets i have is having 2 large silver maples trimmed initially at a high cost only to have to remove them 5 years later. The second i had them trimmed back woodpeckers attacked them ferociously, and they got sun scalded hardcore. I say get rid of it now and move on. I still have one silver maple on my property. It's root system is protruding all over the frigin place and it's beginning to get some rot. I burn a ton of silver maple, i think they're nice looking trees, but a lot of times they grow like weeds in places they quickly outgrow and before you know it you have this enormous half rotten tree threatening you on a daily basis.

For me, a silver maple is better suited near a secluded fishing hole or in a field.