Red Maple

-snip-

One guy knows-- The one who tagged it. I'd bet it would be a local call.

Jim

On Jun 3, 8:39=EF=BF=BDam, "Robert Green" wrot= e:

why not call the city and ask?

if you want to save the tree try offering to pay for a tree company to give a second opinion.

I hate to see a mature tree removed unnecessarily

City arborist must have paid you a visit. I'd call him / her for the report. One removed near my property. Though not visible from the outside, a core sample from the bore in showed significant rot. This was a maple tree deemed to be about 60 yrs old. We are in a hurricane zone. I've no idea of the predicted life span of same tree would be.

Robert Green wrote the following:

At the end of February, after the very heavy wet snow and subsequent heavy winds, about 50% of the trees on my one acre next to a woods suffered major tree and branch damage which then caused some damage to my 6' high wooden fence when a Maple trunk branch of about 10" in diameter fell on it, I spent the better part of 2 days cutting that and a number of other large branches that broke off other trees and were laying on my property. Two large fir trees on my neighbor's property fell and took out the electricity, phone, and cable tv/broadband lines.

Robert Green wrote: ...

...

...

Well, in that description alone I counted five good ones...

In all likelihood, notwithstanding the apparent near toppling already, the bulk of the trunk is hollow and what appears to be a quite large, solid piece of sturdy wood is mostly a straw...

Be glad they're going to get it down before it comes down on its own and it's your nickel to collect from your insurance and clean it up...

Many places will replace it w/ a new planting...

--

It was the inevitable result of local government plotting to entice you to post to usenet...

"Robert Green" wrote in news:hu87r7$ro$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

The city hates you.

NO, just dying.

There was

Not only is the foliage dense, you are too. Re-read what you wrote and you'll have the answer. Meantime. park your car out of range.

Any power lines above? If so, may not be the city, may be the power company. A couple of years ago, they murdered dozens of lovely trees around this part of town because they were in their easement, and getting big. (Including some that pre-dated the power lines being there, and where the cable could have easily and cheaply been re-routed to a different pole, out of harm's way.)

If you can spare the cash, a second opinion from an arborist may be worthwhile. You probably won't win any challenge to the powers that be, but you will know if you were right or not.

Already left a message a week ago without a callback. Thought I'd ask around and see whether other people had any experience with red maple trees. In my jurisdiction if you ask too many questions, you end up with citations for ultra-minor infractions as a reminder that city workers have better things to do than answer citizen inquiries.

Thanks for your input.

-- Bobby G.

Well, of course I did. The city, thus far, has remained mute. So I decided to ask around before I got serious with them.

In many places that might be a good idea. Here, it's probably just throwing away money because the city, absent a "cease and desist" order, will do what it wants. It's clear from the fight my neighbor had with them about her tree (hit by the water company's backhoe and gouged) that they care little for anything residents have to say. She had gotten a second opinion that said the tree could be saved but down it came anyway. It was a massive tree that provided much shade and you can't believe how much the "feel" of the place changed without it.

Me too, which is why I am here, trying to get a feel for my options, if any.

Thanks for the input.

-- Bobby G.

I would assume the tree is about 70 years old, if planted when the place was new. It lost a major branch from the huge 2010 snowstorms and I think that's where the trouble began. I wonder now if some sort of treatment (sealing the breakpoint) might have saved the tree if it really is so bad that it must be taken down. I have a call into the arborist which has not been returned (very small city, probably a part timer in the job. I'll pulse them again tomorrow since it's been a week since I called and two since the ribbon appeared. I guess they don't make it a habit to talk to the property owner during their inspection.

Thanks!

-- Bobby G.

Well, if it's truly a goner, I will be greatful because it's a) leaning toward the house and b) big enough to cause serious damage. Also, the phone, cable and power lines run right through the foilage so it would take out almost all services with it when it fell. I suspect a lot of trees didn't make it through that wet, clingy snow that pervaded the NE this year. So sad. It was a huge, beautiful tree and will be the second one that shaded the house to be cut down. It really changes the "feel" of the place to lose two big trees in front.

Thanks for your input, Bill.

-- Bobby G.

The problem is the things I have mentioned have been there since we got here in 1984. That's why I posted here. I wanted to know if red maples had some growing pattern that involved large, lower branches falling off naturally.

There are at least 6 self-repaired knotholes - some from branches breaking off naturally (ragged knot holes) and some that were sawn off (very clean knotholes with the the outer bark growing over the "wound" making a little rim around the edge of each hole.

I can't believe that - we had 70mph wind gusts recently that surely would have brought a completely rotten tree down. The whole tree is covered in new leaves - I walked up and down the street today with a camera, taking pictures to see if there was any large, dead area or branch and couldn't see any. Tomorrow I will look to see if I can see any bore holes near the base.

If it's truly bad, I will be *very* glad. It's not my nickel directly, but the city tacks on a yearly addendum to my property tax, so I've really already paid for the service, if indirectly.

They are pretty good about new plantings and pretty awful about caring for them. My neighbor's replacement tree died within two years of planting. Let's hope mine lasts longer.

Thanks,

-- Bobby G.

Well, that's rude. And here I was, Ed, thinking that you were a good source for intelligent information based on your previous postings. I suppose that does make me "dense" but not for asking questions, just for believing you might have something to say that I would want to read. Glad you cleared that up for me.

-- Bobby G.

That's part of my concern, that they are chopping down something for reasons other than "inherent vice."

Fortunately, my neighbor already wasted her money on just such a challenge when she discovered what you already know: TPTB always win. And arborists aren't cheap!

Thanks for your input, it is much appreciated.

I will redouble my efforts to contact the aborist or anyone else that might give me relevant information. It's a big, old but beautiful tree and I would hate to lose it. But I think I would hate it more if it cut my house in two or smashed my car up. It's at least 2 feet in diameter at the base and could do some serious damage if it fell.

Do they always just remove sick trees or do they sometimes try to prune back the bad parts?

-- Bobby G.

"Robert Green" wrote in news:hu87r7$ro$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:

I don't know about red maples, but the ordinary street trees that look like maples have a maximum life span of 60-70 years. Given all the signs of disease, you probably have a tree ready to give the ghost. I remember vaguely, because it was talked about so much later on, that all the fruit trees in a part of Holland (Zeeland) inundated by seawater in February

Here's how you deal with that.

1. Call the department. . .
2. 24 hours later call the head of the department.
3. 24 hours later go up the chain of command . . .
4. 24 hours go up another step.
5. give the mayor's pr office 24 hours.
6. Call the media.

Quicker than waiting a week.

That's like asking in a medical group if anyone has experience with humans.

A minor infraction is still an infraction. Obey the laws & complain away.

Jim

After thinking about this, I was going to apologize for not realizing you were joking in the original post. I see you really were serious.

In the past few months, the new has had stories of a person walking that was killed by a falling branch, people killed in a car when a tree toppled on them, houses damaged by trees falling, and a few other assorted tragedies.

You already stated the tree has leaned toward your house, that you see a crack in the moss, that you see another rotted spot, yet you still don't understand why the town wants to remove the tree. Sure it will be a loss of shade, of beauty, etc. but it will be a bigger loss if it comes down on your house, car, or family. Sorry to have offended you, b ut you really are not seeing the reality of the situation.