Copiced maples

[Mitchell]

Hello been awhile

Have not posted in awhile. I'm Dealing with chronic lyme so i don't have the energy to do much when I park the truck. Anyrate I am Looking for a bit of help on a question regarding copiced stumps. Specifically acer macro phylum, big leaf maples.

I have a two maples trees that were cut down fifteen years ago and have copiced as much as five new trunks of basically equal size [apx 1 foot]. As you can imagine they are starting to become included and heading for future failure with moderately high target values [street corner with mailboxes, driveway with parked cars].

I have been asked to determine what pruning will help the situation. Will removing some, or all trunks but one rot out the remaining trunk dooming the tree anyways? Cabling is not an option they will consider for liability reasons. I have spent more then a few hours sifting through the various web sites. I can not come up with a solid answer on decay rates or life expectancy of a heavily basally pruned tree. I have determined copiced maples are considered a high risk problematic tree. From what I have read I am leaning towards recommending there complete removal. As essentially, maples rot readily and I will introduce massive pruning wounds into the stump whether I its done all at once or spread out over time.

Thanks for any insight you might have

 

[sgreanbeans]

I think you already answered your own question, with all that action, to many roads leading to your liability, removal and replace is what I would suggest. Too many "what ifs"

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Dormant removal and maintain as a true coppice. The plant has shown that it is strong in basal regeneration, so maybe put it on a three year schedule. thin out stems as the get too big and maybe you will not have to remove all of them in the future.

I have convinced people to manage a number of species on lotlines like this, basswood works very well as a screening plant when treated as a rotational coppice. We come into the treeline on a regular basis and thin out the stems as needed to so that none get so tall that the foliage thins out along the lines of sight.

 

[Mitchell]

coppiced

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I should have mentioned the trees are boulevard trees and belong to the municipality. The neighbours origionaly asked me to look into pruning for views at their expense. After meeting with the muni arb on site we decided not much could be done for the views but the trees may not be viable. Looks like the old mayor started the problem by illegally chopping them down before he sold his house!

He told me to make my recommendations and he would have another private arborist vet the recommendations. They don't want trees removed every time some one asks. I wanted to make sure I was not recommending removal with out exploring every reasonable option. the city does not want liablity thus the no cabling option and they may not want to enter a rotational coppice program for the same reasons.

One more thought for you guys; if they were cut down at grade and allowed to coppice from the stump one stem may be able to re root itself independant of the rotting stump. From what I have seen I believe that should be able to work, so long as only one shoot is allowed to regenerate.

 

[treemandan]

Coppiced? From the word copius? Is that what they call it when a tree grows back from the stump?
I am thinking maple wouldn't fair well in this circumstance and the base would always be weak.