Maple tree help needed

[WesternSaw]

My neighbor wants their maple tree pruned back as it will plug up the gutters with falling leaves in the fall.It's main branches reach about 10 feet high,then there's all these thumb thick branches from last years growth shooting up higher.At the base of these shoots there are big gnarly knobs from being pruned before and this is where the new shoots come from.To keep it pruned back should it continue to be pruned back to the gnarly nubs or should you cut those fist sized or bigger knobs off?
Many Thanks
Lawrence

 

[ddhlakebound]

It sounds like this tree may be an actual pollard, instead of a topped tree called a pollard.

You should continue to cut to the pollard head (big gnarly knob), without injuring it. The many small wounds are much easier for the tree to deal with than if you made one big wound below the knobs.

Got pics?

 

[riesenbr549]

New shoots or "suckes" as we call em are good on a maple and can be removed without harm as prevously stated. Maples are very resilent to trimming or topping.We butcher them all the time and they look bad till they fill out. in my area. most work we do is on soft maple and some hard maple . Our sugar maples are average of 36-48"+ and 60'+

 

[WesternSaw]

Thanks Fellas

I will try and get a picture up in the next day or so.
Thanks Again
Lawrence

 

[treeseer]

...Maples are very resilent to trimming or topping.We butcher them all the time and they look bad till they fill out.

They grow new branches, which is good. But have you looked inside them and measured the decay?

re the op, gutter guards!! Why cut off shade on the roof if you do not have to?

 

[Rftreeman]

leaves don't always fall straight down, sounds like the tree has been stub cut in the past and then the water sprouts (suckers come form roots or the base) have been cut off each year, if your neighbor doesn't mind that ugly tree then just prune it as it has been in the past, if you cut below the "knob" you'll just get the same thing in a year or so......

 

[WesternSaw]

Maple Tree Pictures

Okay fellas sorry about the delay, here are two pictures of the maple tree
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[ddhlakebound]

ewwwww.....

how many things can be wrong with a tree?

cause this one's got most of them.

topped, lions tailed, horrible structure....

If it were mine, and I wanted to keep it, I'd turn it into a true pollard, and keep the new growth cut back to the pollard heads every winter. I wouldn't want that structure to get much weight or windsail above it, and considering it's position, it needs regular size management.

At the same time, allow more of the interior growth to fill in. It may need a couple very small cables, depending on how much the included bark leads are leveraged. Keeping it reduced annually, you may not need the cables at all.

A pic of the root flare would help determine if it's got below ground issues to go with those up top, and a better pic of where all the leads are growing upward together also.

 

[WesternSaw]

ddhlakebound

Thanks for your quick and informative reply!I do however have some questions that need to be answered in layman's terms attached to your Arborist nomenclature.You mention to make it a true pollard.What exactly do you mean by that? You also mention a better picture of where all the leads are growing.What do you mean by that?If you are telling me the where are the new shoots are growing they are all growing up in front of the gutter and roof also some are growing into the covered porch are below the roof.As for the root ball I will try and get a picture of that but I think it is covered with soil
Many Thanks
Lawrence

 

[Loraxguy]

maple neeeding help

Not to beat the bush on this, but if this tree was out the front door of my house I would remove it and replace with something that will peak out at 10 to 15 feet.

 

[Rftreeman]

Man that's ugly and will be a problem for the life of the tree...I say remove it and replace it with a shrub that will mature around 4 feet high..

 

[Buckshot00]

Man that's ugly and will be a problem for the life of the tree...I say remove it and replace it with a shrub that will mature around 4 feet high..

Second that suggestion. Replace it with a slow growing juniper.

 

[ddhlakebound]

Thanks for your quick and informative reply!I do however have some questions that need to be answered in layman's terms attached to your Arborist nomenclature.You mention to make it a true pollard.What exactly do you mean by that? You also mention a better picture of where all the leads are growing.What do you mean by that?If you are telling me the where are the new shoots are growing they are all growing up in front of the gutter and roof also some are growing into the covered porch are below the roof.As for the root ball I will try and get a picture of that but I think it is covered with soil
Many Thanks
Lawrence

A correctly done pollard will have the original heading cuts in small diameter limbs, then each year the new growth is removed back to the pollard head, and the tree is maintained that way indefinately.

The tree in the pic was topped pretty harshly, but will still develop pollard heads over time if the new growth is pruned annually.

The root flare pic would be helpful, the other one I asked for was of the trunk and limbs, where they're all a cluster going upward to the canopy. It would be helpful to see a little better how much bark inclusion is there, and whether the outer leads/limbs are being displaced.

Honestly, I agree w/ Loraxguy, Rftreeman, Softwoodsrule. I think it's better replaced with a more appropriate tree for the spot. But I realize that the homeowner may not want to get rid of it so I typed out the...

If it were mine, and I wanted to keep it,...

because if it's going to be kept, it needs some help.

 

[WesternSaw]

Maple Tree again!

What little I know of pruning Maple trees is you should do it in the winter,I think.so I am asking the question.Can the Maple Tree in the above pictures be pruned back now if it is starting to show little leaves?Would it kill the tree?
I know some of you have said get rid of it,but they want to keep the tree.
Many Thanks
Lawrence

 

[buzz sawyer]

Is it me or is that a boxelder (technically a maple - Acer negundo)? I agree - replace it with something that fits the area better.

 

[WesternSaw]

Buzzsawer

Is it me or is that a boxelder (technically a maple - Acer negundo)? I agree - replace it with something that fits the area better.

I hear what you are saying ,but the homeowners do not want to get rid of it.so that is why I'm asking if it can be pruned now while it is just starting to show leaves.they do not want to kill it
Lawrence

 

[buzz sawyer]

I just missed that your earlier post - sorry. Maybe take a chance make a real pollard out of it - it will take some time, but might look OK after a couple years.

 

[DeAvilaTree]

cut slits in every crotch it will be easier to feed into the chipper in one shot:wave:

 

[WSJchester]

I'm no tree pro but box elder's are more or less impossible to kill outright anyway. That's part of what makes them such a 'weed' tree, right?

 

[treeseer]

what is the client goal--visibility out of second story window? if so annually pollard. if not, restore shape by selecting strong leaders out of those clumps and subordinating/removing the others.

all that growth is just one year after topping? :monkey: