What would you do with this tree?

[acrete]

8651

Would you cut off the half that is dead or just leave it? Will the rest of the tree survive or will that die soon too?

[sugarman3]

I would cut off the dead part, in case it had a disease,hopefully it has not infected the living part.

[happy thoughts]

First I'd try to figure out what caused it to die back then go from there. Once you know what you're dealing with you can decide if pruning back will help or if the tree needs removal.

[Ed R]

Since it looks like it is growing out in the open, it may have just been hit by lightning on the bad half. I would cut it right now and see how the living half responds.

[Clarkfield Farms]

Cut it, cut it asap, but cut it right. And the exposed cut will better reveal what the problem is or was, and if anything remedial needs to be done to or for the living part.

[Dave Y]

Cut it. As it rots it will cause harm to the living half of the tree.

[acrete]

What would the right way to cut it be?

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[acrete]

Can I tap this tree this year or wait?

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[happy thoughts]

What would the right way to cut it be?

It would be good to get a real answer from an arborist and maybe someone else will have a better answer than my amateur one but I was always of the understanding that maples should not be cut when dormant because they will bleed too much sap. That's not to say that the dead wood shouldn't be cut out now just for safety reasons but you're probably going to want to cut back to good clean wood at some point. That should probably wait until later in the year if the tree itself is worth saving or even should be.


Can I tap this tree this year or wait?

If it looks like a goner I'd tap it. If you're going to do some major cutting now that causes lots of sap loss then I'd give it a rest this year.

[Marcus]

If it is dead it is not going to bleed any sap. If it were in the landscape I would say cut it down.

[Russell Lampron]

Wait until after sugaring season to cut off the dead stem if you are going to be cutting into some live wood. If you aren't cutting into any live wood cut off the dead stem now and use it in your evaporator. Go ahead and tap it and see how it runs and see how sweet it is. That might help in the decision to try to save the rest of the tree or not.

[foursapssyrup]

i would cut it, but it may not stop the decay of the trunk where they split. once one half dies, many of it's "veins" that run to the root also die, and will eventually rot out, leaving a hole in that side of the tree. this will take a long time to happen (10-20+years) and the other half of the tree will probably remain healthy.

tap it.

[Ball Brook Maple]

I work with Sugar maples in the urban environment almost every day. While I see the Sugar maple thrive in my sugar bush this particular variety of maple really struggles in the landscape. Your tree most likely is suffering from a root/soil problem. I could write on and on about all of the possibilities but with out personally examining the tree or knowing the history of the landscape in which it grows I'd say it's just normal urban stress. If you want to tap the tree I'd say go for it. There is no reversing the decline at this time and I'd also assume that sap rot has already spread into the live portion of the tree.

I care for many of these big old giants in the landscape and if it wasn't for constant attention and treatment decline will set in and the tree will lose vigor and start to shut down from the outside of the crown inwards.

[Trout Brook Maple]

If it were mine, I'd cut out the bad side with the cut sloped so water runs off easily. I'd cut it when dormant, which is the recommendation I've usually heard to help prevent other diseases/problems. That deep crotch in it could be the culprit - gathers water, freezes, splits, rot, etc.

If I cut it, I wouldn't tap it this year - if you don't cut it, tap it. Just don't do both, it'll have a tough enough time as it is.

[maplekid]

the tree was most likeley struck by lightening, has carpenter ants inside, or has been scalded by the sun. or possibley forest tent catapillar has harmed it. cut off the main lead at the closest point to the trunk without damaged any bark or cambial wood on the other leader. do so in the early warmer spring time temps. this is when trees will realize that it has a wound and will focus all its energy towards repairing the wound. cut the lead of and angle the cut down so its not to collect water, best case scenerio is it will start to form water growth off of the new wound and will remplenish its health. it sometimes works. sometimes not. i would not tap it just because its gunna need all it can get right now, just my two cents.