Maple identify and assess health please

[rpmoore187]

I've got a smallish sized maple tree in my front yard. But, it seems to be a very, very slow grower. We've lived in this house for 16 years (since 2004) and I bet it was even a few years old at that point (it was smaller of course). My estimate is that its about 25-30 feet tall. My father has a red maple which is probably half the age of this one and close to twice the height.

I haven't ever consulted an arborist, but my fear is there's a problem with the root(s). It looks a little funny around the base with some odd bulges.

I think it looks fairly healthy overall, although, i'd prefer it to be thicker with leaves (you can see right through it in spots). But, my main question are A) what specific type of maple is it? and B) is it healthy in terms of growth rate and thickness? Or, are there things we should be doing to it to make it grow and be as healthy as possible?

Attaching pictures from July 2020 and October 2019 (to see how it looks in the fall). Any help would be appreciated.

 

[wcorey]

Looks to me like either sugar or norway, bark looks more like sugar but the overall shape is more typical of norway.
Doesn't look unhealthy...

 

[rpmoore187]

Thanks for the response! I did a little research between Norway and Sugar and i'm thinking its a Sugar maple. The buds are kind of "sharper" and almost like little brown spikes and it definitely turns orange/red in the fall (do Norway maples just turn yellow?).

I'll try to add some pics of the base of the trunk to get a better look at that too. But, my main concern is the lack of growth rate...25-30 feet tall for a 15-20 year old tree seems little to me (but i don't know). But, that might also point to being a Sugar maple. Do they have a much slower growth rate?

edit: attaching a few more pics of the bottom of the trunk/roots and the buds for aiding identification.

 

[ATH]

that is sugar.

In picture 2, looks like there may be a root putting pressure on the trunk. (starting on the right side of the tree and going to the left across the trunk). Excavate around there and post another pic.

get rid of that thing over the roots...

expand the mulch ring (wider, not deeper!)

How is the soil? Wet/dry? Clay/sand? Is the lawn relatively easy to keep thick or is that rough too?

 

[rpmoore187]

Its definitely clay/hard soil in my area here. The lawn does ok in spring/fall. Summer time is rough and the grass gets thinner and hard to maintain. Usually some very hot, dry spells so I try to run the sprinkler around the base of the tree every week or so.

I'm attaching some additional pics of the base of the tree / root area. If the roots are the issue (i.e. putting pressure on the trunk or something along those lines), is there anything that can be done? Or, is the tree basically just gonna be stunted permanently?

 

[TNTreeHugger]

Its definitely clay/hard soil in my area here. The lawn does ok in spring/fall. Summer time is rough and the grass gets thinner and hard to maintain. Usually some very hot, dry spells so I try to run the sprinkler around the base of the tree every week or so.

I'm attaching some additional pics of the base of the tree / root area. If the roots are the issue (i.e. putting pressure on the trunk or something along those lines), is there anything that can be done? Or, is the tree basically just gonna be stunted permanently?

Holey moley - what in the world is going on there??

 

[rpmoore187]

Holey moley - what in the world is going on there??

ha, that's what i'm trying to find out.

The tree isn't entirely unhealthy. It greens up pretty good in the spring, turns, orange/red in the fall. Its not super thick and doesn't have a ton of empty spots in the canopy (though, there's a little of that). But, it doesn't seem like its grown as much as I'd like since i've lived here (16 years).

I'm starting to think "it is what it is" and i'm stuck with it (which stinks b/c it would be a great shade tree for our super hot summers here in Eastern MO).

 

[TNTreeHugger]

ha, that's what i'm trying to find out.

The tree isn't entirely unhealthy. It greens up pretty good in the spring, turns, orange/red in the fall. Its not super thick and doesn't have a ton of empty spots in the canopy (though, there's a little of that). But, it doesn't seem like its grown as much as I'd like since i've lived here (16 years).

I'm starting to think "it is what it is" and i'm stuck with it (which stinks b/c it would be a great shade tree for our super hot summers here in Eastern MO).

Idk... it's definitely unique, and pretty "cool" looking, like a big bonsai.
Maybe the best thing to do is enjoy it for it's uniqueness for as long as you can.