What would you do?

Treeaddict

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Harford county MD
Helping my friend and neighbor get some light on his pool. I need to take out the right most limb/leader. Silver maple - mature. I don’t want to cut it close to the trunk because of the species known weakness to compartmentalization. Fear it would introduce rot to the trunk and we’d loose the tree after some time. My current plan is to pollard it where circled in red on one of the photos. He can maintain the sprouts every few years with his pole saw to keep weight down if necessary. Would Rather introduce decay away from the trunk and maintain weight than cut closer. Id use a come along maybe 5’ below the cut to secure the limb to the trunk even there is no evidence that leads me to believe it would separate. Little worried about barber chair so may do the cut in 2 sections. Bull line will be added for a warm and fuzzy feeling to keep it away from the pool. What do you all think?
 

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Use a clinometer with the knowledge of the angle of summer and winter sun. Estimate how the sun will track, unless he's observed it, and can inform you accurately.

I wonder if you might reduce more of the crown/ more leaders to a lesser extent.



By pollard, do you mean a heading cut?


What do you mean about the comealong?
 
I don't know nothin', but I would cut it at the fork, leaving two stubs. Interested in hearing what others think.
 
Heading cut should be at a node, IMO.

Two stubs to nodes, if anything.




Anywhere there is or was a branch is a node that has dormant growth points (I 99.9% believe to be accurate).
 
It might compartmentalize just fine. The collar isn’t as obvious as others, but it’s definitely there. I’d take it right off. It’d look nice too.
 
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  • #6
Heading cut, yes. I’d use the “come along” tool to keep the limb secure to the trunk. I don’t want it to break away with me attached.

Friend is intelligent and had the pool for the summer. He said that limb is blocking the light as well as another maple (which I already removed) so I’m just taking his word for it.

The cut will be made at the fork. There was a fork a little closer to the trunk side but I already made one cut so it’s hard to tell.
 
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  • #7
Johnny,
I hear you on the better look with that limb completely gone. That was my first thought. Just don’t want to take the chance on decay with shed and pool targets.
 
It looks to me like you have a really good "Y" on the main lead up and to the left of where you need to cut. Seems like your TIP for your life support should be up in that crotch and then you'll only be barely standing on the limb you're cutting. You can have a second safety / climb line in the y directly above closest to where you're cutting and then you'll be tied in twice. So you might not even have to lanyard in to the target limb when you're going to cut. Looks like you can just bomb everything. Ought to be fun.
 
It might compartmentalize just fine. The collar isn’t as obvious as others, but it’s definitely there. I’d take it right off. It’d look nice too.
don't take that advice... NFW will that big of a collar cut on a silver maple compartmentalize. No live cuts on the mains stem of 4" diameter is a good rule to go by. And IMO the intended effect of getting more light on the pool isn't going to get much help from removing that limb. I would leave it the first main lateral and let it grow from there. ANd functionally unless you know the parts of the sky that need to be opened up to get the light, you're wasting your time and doing unnecessary harm to the tree. Sometimes you can remove a couple of strategic limbs and get a couple of extra hours on the tree, and sometimes there are so many other branches blocking the sun that you won't get any more light by taking a large limb off.

They should have given some thought top to that tree before they put the pool there.
 
I would push for removal. It’s a silver maple. The mess from dead twigs and seeds will end up costing your friend more money in the long run with burned up pumps and time spend cleaning.
Pollarding will have you back to repollard every other year if not every year. Incurring cost to your friend.
Removing the large lower will never heal over in a timely fashion causing a decay column. Even heading it back to a viable node your friend will still have seeds, leaves, and twigs in his pool constantly.
Silver maple are nice out in the open far far away from anything.
 
I was with you at that first sentence, then you lost me. I'd remove the pool. Just another job to do when you finish your real job. Get home from work, fish out the dead squirrels, leaves, and bugs, check the filter, check and adjust the chemicals, and then... Go make grass shorter! After that you might want to get in the pool. What? Are you some kind of neanderthal?! Put that filthy body in the pool you just cleaned?! Get your ass inside, and take a shower first! Now have a beer, and do you really feel like going outside with the bugs, and getting wet again? I didn't think so.

Rinse, repeat...

edit:
added a word I dropped
 
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head that limb back to the lateral limb you have circled. And be done with it. To large of a cut to be on the trunk. Silver maple will sprout like a mofo

we have two kinds of crack up here in the mountains "view crack" and "light crack" one taste and customers are hooked and will be asking for more. Be aware. Besides....one limb aint gonna do shit for light on the pool,....it will "feel" more open
 
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