Old Growth Red Maple Too Deep

[rarefish383]

Pink, I kinda skimmed along and didn't read every word. If I repeat any thing sorry. The fungus is a sign of internal rot. Others stated you should see how deep the rot is. A tree only grows from the outside. No matter how healthy it is it will not grow new heart wood and be structurally strong again. The life of the tree is in the cambium just under the bark. As long as it has a healthy cambium it will continue to grow up and out. Making it heavier and more likely to split. Cabling the limbs might give them some support. But, in a heavy wind, that big sail could twist the trunk in half, and there is no real way to support that. If you would like to see a real GIANT that had many of the same problems that your tree has google "Marylands Liberty Tree". It was a 4 hundred year old Tulip Poplar. I saw it just a few month before it came down, it was amazing.

I understand your wanting to save this guy. You just have to realize that you can keep it externally healthy. You can feed it and pamper it and prune it, and it will continue to get taller, and have nice big healthy leaves. But, all of a sudden it'll just collapse. The trunk won't be able to support the weight of the crown.

If I had a tree like that on my farm I'd leave it, and enjoy it, knowing one day it will collapse. If it were anywhere near people you have to consider their well being.

Another thing to be weary of, in your desire to "Help" your tree, don't "Harm" it. The back fill was done 50 years ago, the tree adapted. When you cleaned the fill soil away you scored up the roots pretty bad. The root damage with all of it's other health issues didn't "Help" it. Now it has to divert energy into healing the root damage that could have gone to callus tissue in other parts of the tree. Just doing stuff to the tree doesn't mean you are helping it. If you had a 16 year old Lab would you put it on a leash and make it run a mile? Running is good exercise. No you wouldn't. Some times just leaving it be, and making it comfortable, is the best thing you can do. Good luck with the old guy, Joe.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Pink, I kinda skimmed along and didn't read every word. If I repeat any thing sorry. The fungus is a sign of internal rot. Others stated you should see how deep the rot is. A tree only grows from the outside. No matter how healthy it is it will not grow new heart wood and be structurally strong again. The life of the tree is in the cambium just under the bark. As long as it has a healthy cambium it will continue to grow up and out. Making it heavier and more likely to split. Cabling the limbs might give them some support. But, in a heavy wind, that big sail could twist the trunk in half, and there is no real way to support that. If you would like to see a real GIANT that had many of the same problems that your tree has google "Marylands Liberty Tree". It was a 4 hundred year old Tulip Poplar. I saw it just a few month before it came down, it was amazing.

I understand your wanting to save this guy. You just have to realize that you can keep it externally healthy. You can feed it and pamper it and prune it, and it will continue to get taller, and have nice big healthy leaves. But, all of a sudden it'll just collapse. The trunk won't be able to support the weight of the crown.

If I had a tree like that on my farm I'd leave it, and enjoy it, knowing one day it will collapse. If it were anywhere near people you have to consider their well being.

Another thing to be weary of, in your desire to "Help" your tree, don't "Harm" it. The back fill was done 50 years ago, the tree adapted. When you cleaned the fill soil away you scored up the roots pretty bad. The root damage with all of it's other health issues didn't "Help" it. Now it has to divert energy into healing the root damage that could have gone to callus tissue in other parts of the tree. Just doing stuff to the tree doesn't mean you are helping it. If you had a 16 year old Lab would you put it on a leash and make it run a mile? Running is good exercise. No you wouldn't. Some times just leaving it be, and making it comfortable, is the best thing you can do. Good luck with the old guy, Joe.

Yeah it seems as if this trees heart has white rot. And the rot was too hard to penetrate I tried already with a corner marker pole whip. I googled that tree but I think I got several different trees. A wide layer of mulch but THIN right? Not to much drastic change in 1 year? Also I can obtain not fresh manure but composted/aged cow manure so I figured I would grab some of that too. This tree is definitively full of foliage and "vigor" it's just a bit out of shape. I know I dung up the roots bad and learned a lot (now I use air and water for a outstanding result) So the weight reduction was definitely a topic but it was crushed by the thought of "topping" a tree and reducing it's long term life span. But the "bonsai" route does seem better for this tree, half of the trunk is hollow but the hollow cylinder is to one side of the tree like this:

Some day I will owe my entire career to this tree for starting me out, my first tree. Sounds like a reason to save it to me

 

[treeseer]

So the weight reduction was definitely a topic but it was crushed by the thought of "topping" a tree and reducing it's long term life span. But the "bonsai" route does seem better for this tree,

Exactly--rational reduction in crown to lessen strain on base. /and coincidentally lessening range of area affected by possible failure.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Exactly--rational reduction in crown to lessen strain on base. /and coincidentally lessening range of area affected by possible failure.

Wait- so are you saying to slowly try topping it over the course of several years?

 

[treeseer]

Wait- so are you saying to slowly try topping it over the course of several years?

Yes, but with more than ladder and bowsaw and no knowledge of nodes.

 

[Tree Pig]

Thats no place to be toasting marshmallows

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Yes, but with more than ladder and bowsaw and no knowledge of nodes.

Well I mean I know how to cut a branch collar before the node but ya someone is coming down from ArboristSite in about a month. I'll ask him to take this approach when he does the pruning.

Thats no place to be toasting marshmallows

They kind of do look like marshmallows don't they :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[xraydaniel]

Some sort of puffball variety. You could probably really toast them and eat them =)

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Some sort of puffball variety. You could probably really toast them and eat them =)

I really think it's a Dryad's Saddle. Here is what it will grow out to look like I took this picture last year:

I bought some mulch for it this year:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

In the matter of 2 days the mushroom has doubled in size, this year will have some HUGE mushroom shelves on this thing.

Then before I layed down the mulch I took a trip back to the farm to grab 6 bags of composted cow manure. I used two on this tree and 4 on the slightly larger tree.

I spread it sparingly sort of like a marble cake where there is no "layer" it is just rather random sprinkled about:

Then I figured why not spread it out farther toward the drip line:

Then I mulched with a thin layer maybe 1" or less:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

I also figured mulch is not there just to look good, the rain water allows the tree to absorb minerals from the mulch right? So I spread that too out to the drip line (very sparingly)

Mind the truck, I kind of umm.... hit a telephone pole

UPDATE:
The mushroom is still growing here is about 1 days progress this thing is going to be massive! Hope it's helping the tree:

Look at all the leaves! This thing is got some potential in it, more leaves than last year!

Are we still dealing with a acer rubrum?

The hole in the tree was picking my brain so I stupidly stuck my hand in the hole and snapped picture facing upward with the flash to see what is going on and I'm glad I did not get bit, look at the spider the thing has some good size fangs if you look closely for a MA spider!

​

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Identification...

Besides for the fungi the canopy is in excellent health.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Fungi Update

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Holy Fungi!

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

This thing is so huge and strong I could sit on it! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Update

Well the fruiting body of that fungus thrived so heavily the weight pulled it off the tree itself:

Overall still a thriving giant:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Fluckin Dammit

I knew this was guna happen sooner or later, this is the limb I was contemplating removing that I was told to leave, my grandfather was right there WAS a chain in it and it snapped right where the chain was in the cambium and sapwood (very little to mention) I am hoping it will throw out shooters and heal itself it is already half diameter healed because of the chain callus. If it does not heal should I cut at the collar? It is somewhat supporting the limb behind it but also causing inclusive bark between the two. Apply more compost? This was just a thunderstorm with strong winds in Massachusetts, blew leaves out of every tree.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

I must have gone at least the whole month of June with no fungi fruiting bodies after the other fell off, now it's back at it thriving (cleaning out my tree hopefully) because I swear these huge holes have gotten smaller! Last year I could fit my foot in it because I kicked out the dead bark revealing the hole, now my fist barley fits in the hole.

Before:

After:

These must be the cracks from the callus expanding?

Seems to be liking being able to breath again (flares 4+ feet under still) because the top secondary flares are cracking out a new skin:

And of course my stupid ass mistake uncovering the flares (first tree ever) damaging them they have made a swell recovery:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

They grow really fast I took this picture a week ago ha.

I figured a little extra mulch never hurts (maybe the minerals in it will help the wound)

I still need to do more excavating in this particular area coming up soon!

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Then I got a smart idea, why not recycle some of this really old bark that is probably very rich in minerals? I took a flat headed shovel to the limb and stripped it then fed everything through a miniature wood chipper and it made nice red mulch, can't get any more natural than this!