Big Leaf Maple Takes Over...

[lulanna]

We have a Big Leaf maple in our yard that is very old.
It was cut down when it was logged up here in the 1930's but as may of us know, Big leaf maples can live through just about anything. What it did was form a series of mini "trees" from it's base and just continuue growing all these years. Since then, it has been topped now and then. After moving in here several years ago, we have removed some of the interior and some of the random "trees" from it's base in attempt to thin it out. No matter what we do though, it just wants to grow like wild and the more we cut, the faster it grows. It seems like an expensive losing battle and Im tired of it. I would love to have it taken out, but is it even possile??? By seeing the nature of this tree, I can just picture suckers coming up all over town for the next hundred years. Many thanks for any suggestions!

 

[Newfie]

Remove the stump when you take down the tree and I would think the sucker problem will go away.

 

[Jay Banks]

You have to admire the survival "genes" of trees. Suckering is in response to damage, stress, etc. Once you remove the main tree and the stump (gind it out) you will probably still see some suckers but you should be able to handle them with sharp pruners. And the tree should die out soon.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Or just mow them till the roots die off.

 

[Jay Banks]

I take great pleasure in mowing down the little ailanthus trees trying to sprout from the old fence row.