Cut or not

[RJSinMO]

Bought and planted this guy, a sugar maple, this past spring. Never even noticed it has a fork until all the leaves came off this fall. He is about 7' tall. Do I go ahead and cut one of them off (in later winter/early spring)?

 

[pdqdl]

I'd just cut off whichever side of that fork is southern-most. The northernmost leader will quickly grow to fill in the removed area.

Be sure not to injure the remaining fork's bark, and make sure you don't cut into the branch bark collar. Not much ruins a good tree like bad pruning. If you aren't sure what I mean by that last sentence, then do some internet searching, or feel free to inquire further.

You might also consider killing the grass around the base of the tree and then mulching it for about a 5' diameter circle. Then wrap the trunk with some white tree-wrap up to that first fork. That tree looks kind of long & leggy. It's growing rapidly. The white tree wrap will protect that tender tree from winter sun-scald, a common problem for new saplings. It all depends, of course, on your winter weather. Given that you are wanting that tree to do well, a little tree wrap and mulch is a small investment with some fairly big protective payoffs for one year old saplings.

 

[RJSinMO]

I'd just cut off whichever side of that fork is southern-most. The northernmost leader will quickly grow to fill in the removed area.

Be sure not to injure the remaining fork's bark, and make sure you don't cut into the branch bark collar. Not much ruins a good tree like bad pruning. If you aren't sure what I mean by that last sentence, then do some internet searching, or feel free to inquire further.

You might also consider killing the grass around the base of the tree and then mulching it for about a 5' diameter circle. Then wrap the trunk with some white tree-wrap up to that first fork. That tree looks kind of long & leggy. It's growing rapidly. The white tree wrap will protect that tender tree from winter sun-scald, a common problem for new saplings. It all depends, of course, on your winter weather. Given that you are wanting that tree to do well, a little tree wrap and mulch is a small investment with some fairly big protective payoffs for one year old saplings.

Nice ideas, thank you. There is a bit of mulch at the base, you just can't see it, it's maybe 18" wide or so. I'm in Missouri, near St Louis, so I will consider wrapping it. I had planned to plant a line of them to line my driveway for a nice fall color effect, but I was going to get some smaller ones, and as it turns out the deer like to eat them, so I'm either doing no more or will have to get some more taller ones like this guy.