What to do about cavity on large Maple?

[thenthdegree]

Hi everyone,

A year ago my city without warning sent people out to cut off a large portion of the tree in my yard in order to provide clearance for a new powerline installation. (see photos)

I believe the tree is a Silver Maple and it is very large and I'm guessing old (for reference, this house is 103 years old). Since they removed about 1/3 of the tree, there is a large exposed cut right off of the main trunk near the base.

I previously noticed that carpenter ants and large amounts of water were getting in a deep cavity that is in the middle of the cut. In an effort to prevent this I had placed a block of rigid foam into the cavity and painted over the entire cut. This worked for some time, but the ants chewed through the paint/foam and got in, allowing water to get back in.

I just stripped off all of the paint and removed the remaining foam from the cavity, realizing that A) My solution didn't work and B) I don't know the proper solution to ensure the health of this tree.

I've read conflicting advice online about how to care for cut trees... do I leave it alone or attempt to seal it? Any advice would be great. I'm a young homeowner with a tight budget, but I'm willing to do what I can to keep this tree happy and alive. Thanks!

 

[Rftreeman]

3 words............leave it alone.........

 

[S Mc]

One thing we hate to see in our industry is large cuts on mature trees. Mature and, in this instance, overmature trees have less capability of sealing over wounds. Obviously, the larger the wound, the less likely this will happen.

This tree has made no progress in sealing over this wound in the last year. This is not surprising considering the species and age. Sealing or not sealing with pruning paint would not have made any difference to that fact.

What our industry needs, IMHO, is to remove their blinds and come up with a product that will slow or stop the dessication of these large wounds that allows the fracturing. The lumber industry has figured this out to keep boards from checking but we have become locked in the dogma of "painting is bad". However, that rant is for another place.

A wound this large on an older tree will not heal or seal over; the carpenter ants are going after dead tissue but many recommend suppressing these aggressive pests due to the problems of them being attracted to your home as well.

My big concern would be for what you have been left with. This tree has already lost virtually 1/3 of its biomass. But the 2/3 left are unbalanced and, apparently, going towards two houses.

To mitigate the imbalance caused, there is a secondary crown this tree could be reduced to, but the Catch-22 here is that this further stresses the tree with removing large sections.

Therefore, I would not recommend leaving this tree as is without a qualified, onsite arborist checking it out.

Sylvia

 

[treeman75]

If it is giving you shade I would leave it and make sure nothing is hanging over the house. From the pic it looks like if it would fail it would miss your house, but I guess that depends on the wind.

 

[treeman75]

It is a matter of time before you have to remove it. It might be safer and cheaper now than later!

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Certainly has the potential to compartmentalize itself. Most large trees have SOME sort of heart rot anyway so keep that in mind.

 

[tree MDS]

Certainly has the potential to compartmentalize itself. Most large trees have SOME sort of heart rot anyway so keep that in mind.

Apple trees are great compartmentalizers.. that doesnt mean I would want an 85' hollow husk of an apple tree leaning next to my house..

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Apple trees are great compartmentalizers.. that doesnt mean I would want an 85' hollow husk of an apple tree leaning next to my house..

So are maples, don't you think it's a little too early to tell whether the crotch will be stable or not? The limb joints look strong. I'm in no position to give anyone safety advice, but it does not even appear to be leaning toward the house, whats across the street?

I wouldn't seal the hole but what if you built a simple rain cover that allows the hole to vent but remains dry? Use 4 blocks of wood and a piece of 6"x6" plywood

 

[tree MDS]

So are maples, don't you think it's a little too early to tell whether the crotch will be stable or not? The limb joints look strong. I'm in no position to give anyone safety advice, but it does not even appear to be leaning toward the house, whats across the street?

That thing is gonna rot right on out. already started.

It looks like its leaning towards the neighbors, their house, property and cars to me.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

That thing is gonna rot right on out. already started.

It looks like its leaning towards the neighbors, their house, property and cars to me.

Do you think if they left a longer stub this wouldn't of happened possibly with it being so mature?

 

[tree MDS]

It is a matter of time before you have to remove it. It might be safer and cheaper now than later!

I'm gonna have to agree with this guy pink.

Sounds like the trunk may have already been hollow somewhat - not helping the problem!

 

[thenthdegree]

Thanks for the comments...

The other side of the street has multiple 3-story apartment buildings, but they're set pretty far back from the street. The bigger concern is that, due to the apartments, there are always a lot of cars parked on the street.

I think it would just barely miss my house if it fell, but that is of little consolation since it is pretty much guaranteed to land on some vehicles. I guess my best bet is to find a local professional to investigate further.

I'll put a vented/raised cover back over the cut in the mean time to try and keep some water out.

 

[Rftreeman]

I don't think it's gonna fall anytime soon, could be wrong but that's my story and I'm sticking to it...

 

[Loraxguy]

Oh what to do

I would get a ISA certified arborist over there to take a look. You never go wrong if you error on the safety issue.

However if it was my tree I would talk to the utility to see if they would remove it, and maybe they could do it for free or at the very least you split the cost.

 

[rayIN]

If it's a silver I would guess it's about 30 yrs old. Also from the pic it appears that it had black sealer on it in the past. If it were mine I would plant another young tree with the expectation that your silver could be gone in 10 yrs time - but you have to plan carefully as space appears to be at a premium.

 

[treeseer]

Thanks for the comments...

The other side of the street has multiple 3-story apartment buildings, but they're set pretty far back from the street. The bigger concern is that, due to the apartments, there are always a lot of cars parked on the street.

I think it would just barely miss my house if it fell, but that is of little consolation since it is pretty much guaranteed to land on some vehicles. I guess my best bet is to find a local professional to investigate further.

I'll put a vented/raised cover back over the cut in the mean time to try and keep some water out.

sounds good. give it a couple years to recover and then prune to balance.

tree has lost value and many people in your shoes would go after the city for that loss.