advice on huge wound on maple

[sawjo]

I have a large maple in the front yard with a massive wound (lightning?) on it. This tree is approx 20 feet from the front door, we moved into this situation in 2005 and have no known history of the tree. We had a respected tree co. (certified arborist) look at this and they said not to apply anything to it and it would heal up by itself. Its fairly punky in the wound and seems to retain water after a hard driving rain (seems to leak out). We are SE MA in New England. The tree has a canopy the size of the house and is very healthy and leafing properly. The last pic shows proximity to the house. I stuck a finger in the hole thats down low and its about 2" deep then very solid. I think its closing (in the 5 years we've been here) but my wife doesn't think so. What do you guys think? Leave it be and stop worrying? Any idea's on what caused it? It seems too low to have been a major leader and all the limbs start about 6 feet above it.



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[sawjo]

Here's one showing size of tree, its behind the pine in the foreground but you can see the size of canopy.



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[JeffL]

Not uncommon to see that on red maples. Its likely an old tearout where a codominant stem was growing or a large lateral. It will eventually close up, but that decay will still remain, and likely spread to some extent.

No guarantees obviously, but if I was to guess it'll heal over and be just fine, barring any more heavy ice storms or high winds like seems to have become popular the past few years this neck of the country!

 

[sawjo]

Thanks. Jeff

 

[Loraxguy]

Maple wound

I would certainly agree with Jeff on the cause, and the possible out come. However after saying that since this tree is located where it is in the landscape it wouldn't hurt and I think Jeff would agree to have a certified arborist to have a closer look. In one of the photo's it almost looks like a slight crack is located on the backside of the tree from the wound.

 

[rarefish383]

If it were mine, I would use a small saw and cut a little V at the base of the wound, so it can drain. If the wood is punky down in the bottom, where the water collects, I'd clean that out back to the solid wood. Now, using the tip of a chainsaw to do this can be quite dangerous, if you're not used to using one, so be careful, Joe

 

[BryanEx]

Is the split on the South-West side of the tree Sawjo? If it is I would guess it's sun scald from years ago which both maples and cherries are notorious for. Here's some info if you want to check it out - http://en.allexperts.com/q/Trees-739/2009/3/Split-bark-maple-trees.htm

 

[treeseer]

Jeff's right, but that does not look like a high risk defect even with high winds and ice.
Don't cut into live tissue to 'DRAIN" the wound; at most, scoop out the soft stuff and let it get air.
Have an arborist prune the tree to lessen the load.
Observe the exposed core--sunscald doubtful.

 

[JeffL]

Guaranteed thats a branch tear out, anyone who is familiar with red maples has seen that a hundred times over.

I like when you get multi-stemmed trunks at the ground, and one day one stem just tips over, no root system to be found.

 

[capetrees]

It might seem unsightly but it looks to be safe. The wound is healing around the scar, evidenced by the smooth bulging growth around the scar. It's protected from the wind by the other taller trees around it and doesn't seem to be dying back. If the leaves start to drop premature or branches don't come back year to year or one side seems to be dying back unevenly, start making a place for the woodpile.

 

[ChrisWNY]

Guaranteed thats a branch tear out, anyone who is familiar with red maples has seen that a hundred times over.

I like when you get multi-stemmed trunks at the ground, and one day one stem just tips over, no root system to be found.

I agree, I've found this to be the case among several Maple species, Red and Silver being the most affected (in my experience). This is evidence for why it's a good idea to prune off low branches that grow at not-so-ideal angles (either too sharply to the trunk, or too wide of an angle). Either way, that large wound has mostly healed over, the tree should be able to be left alone as long as there are no real issues with die back or disease infestation.

 

[vaclimber]

safety measure

The tree seems to be compartmentalizing ("healing") fairly well. There does seem to be more than meets the eye to the left of the wound. The trunk's stability is compromised however, and I gather that the canopy is healthy. Cell division is the slowest in trunk tissue, and significantly faster in the exterior canopy. Basically it is quite possible the tree is growing faster than it is healing. If the tree was to fail, your house (and occupants) are a possible target along with the less significant utility lines. A proper crown reduction done by a certified arborist would reduce the weight and wind sail exerted to the trunk. It would also let the wound "catch up". Peace of mind during turbulent weather can be added also. I'm sure the shade of your maple benefits you in multiple ways and it may be worth the investment. An on-site arborist can better advise you on these matters. You may want multiple opinions. Just some food for thought