What to do about a Silver Maple?

[sthomas77]

Hi, I have a massive silver maple that was allowed to grow way too close to my house. I know that these trees are prone to breaking in high winds, which being ~3 miles off Lake Ontario, we get all the time. We would love to keep the tree, as it has tremendous character, but we do like our house more.... Do you guys think this tree is a candidate for removal? If so, what would be the going rate? I would want to keep the wood and have the ability to buck once it's down, but im not a climber or anything like that. Anyone from on here local to me? or know of a reputable company that could look at it? Im in Oswego, NY. Thanks! Sean

 

[sthomas77]

Oh, I should also add that it is always peppering my deck and yard with broken branches...some big, some small...

 

[SINGLE-JACK]

Consider this ...

It could be a single tree where the 'suckers' were allowed to take over. But, it also looks like it might be second growth from a stump. I must have a thousand of these second growth coppices on my woodlot. I usually harvest all but the best stem and leave it to mature. That would be one option instead of removing the entire tree. If it is second growth and you went that way, It could be healthier for the tree and you get to keep it. Just a thought. Get a local licensed arborist's opinion (not just a removal service) about whether any of it can be saved - it is a nice tree - or could be.

 

[lego1970]

Can the leaders on the right side of the tree be notched and dropped or is there other structures under that as well? If your keeping the brush, wood, stump, and only two of those main leaders need to be roped out, I'd do it for about $500 to $800. Granted, I'm just a weekend hack with no equipment, full time crew or any serious overhead other then some cheap liability&property insurance. That's just what I can tell from the picture. If the rest of those leaders have to be roped out as well the price could easily double, and if removing brush and grinding down the stump is part of the deal the price could triple.

I would as mentioned, try to get a Arborist to come out there and inspect the tree. Might just help if the tree was cleaned up a little. If you like the tree and have a good homeowners policy with a low deductible, then keep the tree for another 10 years and deal with it later. Sure the tree will grow some more adding to the removal cost 10 years from now but probably not by much. I think you have to decide on the cost to remove now, or your deductible if something does happen, or what it would cost to remove it 10-20 years from now.

A good Arborist can help you make a sound decision. I'm just going off what I'd charge looking at the pic, and how I would go about making the decision. Good luck.

 

[treeseer]

Silver maples need light reduction pruning every 3-5 years. Find someone who can climb to the ends without spikes.

If your keeping the brush, wood, stump, and only two of those main leaders need to be roped out, I'd do it for about $500 to $800.

:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop:

That tree is worth 10 times that to a potential homebuyer. Why in the world would you want to remove it?

Take pics of the main forks. If they are good, pruning is a cheap fix for your deck litter issues.

 

[chipmaker29]

that is an awesome tree with tons of character. i would NOT have it removed unless absolutely necessary. i have 6 silver maples in my yard and they are pesky with limbs & such but i like the trees. like others said, i would have someone qualified evaluate it and tell you what needs to be trimmed on it and then hire a quality tree service to perform the trimming. i am sure they can cut some of it back on your deck side and mediate the problem with the falling branches on ur deck. it definitely looks like a keeper to me & i am sure it increases your property value.

if i were called to give an estimate for removal on this tree from an H/O determined to have it cut down, then judging from your pictures i would do it for $1650. that would include cutting it up, chipping the brush & your stump ground. you keep the wood or give it to someone. if you would want me to haul it away, that would cost extra.

good luck with your tree!

 

[lego1970]

Silver maples need light reduction pruning every 3-5 years. Find someone who can climb to the ends without spikes.
:jawdrop::jawdrop::jawdrop:

That tree is worth 10 times that to a potential homebuyer. Why in the world would you want to remove it?

Take pics of the main forks. If they are good, pruning is a cheap fix for your deck litter issues.

I swear, I love it when nobody answer a question and then later, somebody comes on and picks on us who at least try to answer the HO questions. I'm just saying that's what I'd charge based on the photo and if I only had to rope out two main leads. They asked and I said. What would you charge??????????
If you would read my post you would see that I said it might just need cleaned up a bit and or it might be finacialy better off to gamble and leave the tree be. Damn.

 

[fishercat]

looks like a Swamp (Red) Maple to me.

you could have problems with the leaders splitting off at the trunk.common on those.

that is a tree that was hacked when it was small or regrowth from a stump.is it moist ground where it is? get a lot of run off?

i bet the "helicopters" drive you nuts in late srping/early summer too.

 

[arborist]

Hi, I have a massive silver maple that was allowed to grow way too close to my house. I know that these trees are prone to breaking in high winds, which being ~3 miles off Lake Ontario, we get all the time. We would love to keep the tree, as it has tremendous character, but we do like our house more.... Do you guys think this tree is a candidate for removal? If so, what would be the going rate? I would want to keep the wood and have the ability to buck once it's down, but im not a climber or anything like that. Anyone from on here local to me? or know of a reputable company that could look at it? Im in Oswego, NY. Thanks! Sean

That tree is gorgeous.Please ask your local tree service about pruning with no mention of removal.
A qualified arborist will let you know if it should be removed.You wouldn't have to ask.And if removal is recommended please get another opinion.Ask for specific reasons why removal would be recommended as well.
Done correctly,Pruning could cost as much or more than some co's would charge for removal,but remember,this landscape tree is worth thousands if healthy (which appears to be of course in pics anyway.)
Also ask the tree co's who come for evaluation,to please define "lions tailing".Research it,and be sure it will not be done to this tree especially since you claim high winds.
Avoid tree co's who claim "we will thin it hard so the wind will pass right through".This is generally a tip off,that the tree will be pruned incorrectly with a method called "lions tailing".

Tree's and shade.They're not a scary thing.Enjoy them for years.

 

[arborist]

Acer Saccharinum

I'm quite certain it's an Acer Saccharinum....common names: creek maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, or white maple.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acer_saccharinum


I call them Silver Maples.
/

Yes indeed.Silver maple confirmation from here as well.:agree2:

 

[fishercat]

i believe you.

seems they have a different name everywhere you go.

 

[arborist]

seems they have a different name everywhere you go.

Yes they do.
The red maple(often called swamp, yes) however is a much different maple.
A hard maple that closely resembles the sugar maple (also commonly called rock maple.)They often are so confused with one another,that they are tapped for syrup as well lol.The leafs are different as well as a slightly different growing pattern.The red's are often very overgrown and you will notice a lot of very tight branches,interfering branches,with included bark as a common problem as well.
The red maple,are the very pretty maples in the fall with,the vibrant red's and yellows.
The red maples are an ex-current growing tree.This mean's they generally grow with one main central leader.
The silver as shown here,are de-current growing tree's.This means they generally grow with many leaders like shown in the pics above.
Another very nice maple, however much different from the silver(soft) maple.

P.S. Hope i didn't bore you lol but I love tree's.

 

[treeseer]

They asked and I said. What would you charge??????????

In this market it would be waay higher. Even the $1650 sounds low. That's all...you gave several options which was good.

Dan as a blanket statement would you say that silver maples in urban locations do NOT need occasional reduction? Like pecans they are too prone to branch breakage to just let grow. And yes that may be semi-sales pitch but it is fact as I see them over time.

Good advice re liontailing and assessing before thinking about cutting.

If winged seeds drive anybody crazy, they are already well down that road. Talk about a sales pitch...

 

[sthomas77]

Ok, so this tree doesn't get flooded, however our water table is very high. At the back of the property (which is a little over an acre) we do get standing water in the spring, but the tree is up hill from that. We definately dont want to lose the tree and will do almost anything if we can save it..it has character, plus enormous shade and wind protection. We would def see an energy increase with it gone. I have included pictures of the main trunk(s), there are up to 4 trunks coming out, depending on how you define the splits. I also included a pic of some upper branches showing how the tree has adapted to the high wind conditions (we had 40-50mph winds yesterday). It is def a silver maple..one of the first things I did when we bought the property was to go around with my Peterson's guide to Trees and identified what we had. And no, the helicopter seeds don't drive me crazy...I have enjoyed them since I was a little kid. Thanks for all the advice! You guys have eased my mind a bit, as every time we have high winds I don't sleep because im worried that it will come down.
Sean

 

[fishercat]

thanks for the close up pics of the bark.

now i see the fact that it is a silver maple.


as for the winged seeds,that is the #1 reason we take those down.i do not use it as a sales pitch.customers hate them and that is their reason for wanting them removed.

call me crazy but i am in the tree removal and i have attempted to talk a lot of people out of taking trees down for what i felt were silly reasons.trees i would love to have in my yard. i love trees too but i also love tree work.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I think there is to much 'milking' the client going on suggesting that any type of tree needs reduction on a regular basis such as 3 to 5 years. We have lots of hugh pecans in this area of Georgia and it would cost the tree owners a fortune following such a suggestion. Property just isn't getting damaged nor are people being injured by such trees. I agree with having an arborist walking the property every 3 years or so and paying special attention to the parts of trees over the house...or garage but the parts of the tree that are just over the yard or over a fence....I just can't see it being needed.

A tree that needs the kind of attention you are suggesting the owner would be better off just having it removed and replaced with smaller growing trees....several of them. It's little wonder that so many see trees as a big expense..it's kind of like cars being designed to last the same length of time as car loans do so the owners are always making payments.

Owning trees shouldn't cost like the owners are putting kids through college! If they do there is something wrong with what is being suggested and done.

The fact is this tree was planted too close to the building. So in this rare case, I agree with Guy, best to trim it back moderately from the house, and maintain that clearance by trimming every 5 years or so.

I'm also concerned about the structure at the base. One can see there are not buttress roots on one side of each stem, the side toward the center of the tree. This tree is calling for a dynamic cabling system.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I have included pictures of the main trunk(s), there are up to 4 trunks coming out, depending on how you define the splits. I also included a pic of some upper branches showing how the tree has adapted to the high wind conditions (we had 40-50mph winds yesterday). It is def a silver maple..one of the first things I did when we bought the property was to go around with my Peterson's guide to Trees and identified what we had. And no, the helicopter seeds don't drive me crazy...I have enjoyed them since I was a little kid. Thanks for all the advice! You guys have eased my mind a bit, as every time we have high winds I don't sleep because im worried that it will come down.
Sean

Sean,
Here's what I'd do if it were my tree: Have an arborist do a crown cleaning, that means he gets up there and removes dead, diseased, crossing and other bad limbs. Also have him do thinning cuts to reduce the portion of the crown growing close to the house. These cuts are detailed here: http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/pruning_mature.aspx

I would also strongly consider installing a dynamic cabling system to support the stem growing toward the house, and if your budget allows, maybe even the whole tree.
Here's a site with a description of a cable system. (Other than nice pictures, I don't know anything about the company.)
http://www.plantsolutionsnj.com/cabling.htm

 

[treeseer]

Dan by "in urban areas" i meant with high value targets, not every branch on every tree cut back routinely.

great pics Sean! That is a beautiful tree. the trunk over the house is not well connected but not so bad that pruning cannot adequately address it. Yes dynamic cabling is also an option worth looking into.

"as for the winged seeds,that is the #1 reason we take those down."

sounds like sweetgum balls here, petty irritations leading to destroyed assets.

"i love trees too but i also love tree work."

Me too, that's why I sell preservation work, which makes me more money than removals did. On gums i sell more reduction than removal, helping owners see that they will never be litter-free, so why overreact. Invest in care rather than spending on removal; most can see the logic there.

"So in this rare case, I agree with Guy,"

O my heart swells with pride and gratitude!