will my maple tree live

[log cabin luke]

Two years ago in June a powerful storm came though the area knocking over every thing. My sugar bush borders a soft wood forest where literally the trees were completely wiped out. They were either snapped in half or blown right over. I think it was a tornado but not sure. When the wind came to my maple trees I had a few 30 inchers 100 feet tall that got toppled as well. One trees 28 inches in diameter was stripped of all its branches except one lonely branch that's only about 5 inches in diameter and 20 feet long. The branch is about 50 feet off the ground.
My question is will this tree survive being only sustained by one little branch. I only ask because if it will not make it I want to cut it down and have my neighbor mill it into lumber. Does any one out there have first hand experience with some thing like this perhaps with an ice storm or similar wind.

Thanks Luke

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Ice storm ‘98 was before I started this hobby but in general maple trees are pretty tough. That storm surely ended seasons before they started for many across New England but I’m sure they are going strong again. When I come across a tree with the top gone but a few branches left, I usually pull the tap and let it heal. Give it a chance, a tree that size is gonna be tough. Sorry to hear about the storm, that’s terrible.

[maple flats]

It may live, but due to it's apparent age might not fill in enough to get a very high sap/sugar %. My guess would be to cut it down. However, if you just want to see what happens, leave it. On the trunk of the tree there are dormant buds awaiting exposure to the sun, some will likely sprout limbs. In logging these limbs are called epicormic branching, generally not good for saw logs, but not necessarily bad for maple syrup production.

[log cabin luke]

I am leaning more towards taking it down for lumber. Does any one know the proper time to cut maple for having it sawn into lumber. I know it will get brown stains more so certain times of year?
Thanks Luke