Can I save my Maple tree?

FirstTimer1

I have a 3 and a half year old Maple in my front yard that faces due West. (I'm not 100% sure on the type of Maple). Last summer we got some pretty bad storms that caused the tree to lose almost all of its leaves. However, the tree bounced back and the leaves came back later in the summer. This year, however, we're only getting leaves on the bottom portion of the tree but none on the top. (The leaves that we are getting seem to be very healthy) To top it off, there is some peeling bark on the trunk. My first thought was that last year's storms had a permanent effect - what do you think? My neighbor has the same type of tree, same age, facing same direction and his tree looks great. Is there anything I can do? I'd really hate to lose this tree.
Here are some pictures:

FirstTimer1

**More Information** We had some problems with rabbits last year so my husband wrapped the bottom of the tree with black fabric tree wrap. We took it off this year and that's where the bark seems to be peeling. (Don't know if this is relevant or not!) Thanks

Eric Frei

No pictures!

Bark peeling off usually means stem is dead.


Do you know what ring barking is?

Do you know what a tourniquet is?

Do you know moisture is a necessary ingredient for decay?

Seems to me the stem thing was a real bad move and may have introduced rot, bark is now peeling (very bad), top of tree likely dead, vascular system compromised .... rip it out and plant another.

But sure, pics required as I could be all wrong (usually not though).

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FirstTimer1

Maybe I'm not uploading pictures correctly. I can see them on my screen - can you not see them? What's the best way to upload pictures to this site? (I clicked the "insert image" icon the first time)

Jeff Darby

Here you go, have a good read of this and we'll be seeing your pictures shortly...How to post| add a picture or file| embed picture

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FirstTimer1

Here are the pics of my issue - thanks for your help

Attached Thumbnails

     

Eric Frei

Well, I knew it.

The tree is cactus, chuck it out and start again!

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Cakes

I agree she looks about girdled from her frost heave but after the main injury she HAS shown signs of recovery. So if the OP really wants to keep it then waiting another year or two to see how it goes could be rewarding. I say this not because I have experience with girdling but because I have a few maple trees that experienced significant dieoff but then seemingly dead branches regrew over a few years.

another example of maple recovery is when the ice storm of '98 killed a lot of maple crowns but many sugar maples later recovered fully enough to be kept in commercial production:
http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/trees.htm

I am not sure how the pic is able to show green growth on all 360 degrees of her since she has that girdled looking trunk but fact is she DOES show the growth.

I am not sure if it is significant enough but maples ARE used to recovering from bark injury if u consider the way we tap them for syrup.

what happened to that bark is, it was tender from being covered and also probably from being well fertilized and watered by the looks of that lush lawn. So, couple that with maple's naturally thin and prone skin, she spilt massively during a temperature cycling. It's likely that neither condition will change and she will continue to suffer injury over the course of her life in that location. i.e. u will continue to fertilize and water ur lawn and she will continue to be a maple.

she is not meant to be in Nebraska anyway, heh heh, that place is at the very edge of where she could be cultivated. she appears to like zone 6, not 5. And I don't what kind she is but many some maples look all sticky from the fungi they perpetually have plus they drop all kinds of neat but icky type debris on ur lawn like sticky balls or helicoper chaff so really it's a sorry plant in some situations and wasn't a good choice for being in a lawn.

i like fruit trees if u are going to put up with debris or else a long flowering tree or else one that gives winter interest as well. Your local extension office often has suggestions re cultivars for a particular region since some places get some disease and some don't.

US extension offices:
Cooperative Extension System Offices

If the OP does still wonder if it's worth saving then one thing I would try to wonder about is the hole dug for her intially. If it was a narrow hole then i be thinking about how maples are prone to a terminal illness of not being able to spread a root. a sign of it is a flat sided trunk and she does look a little not round. if i went outside and saw she was having a flat side then it might help me make up my mind because only cure is to dig down and cut offending root(s) to a point where they do not bend. Plus u might have to dig a better hole?

details like that about a tree's cultivation needs will take u all night to research on the internet but it's worth doing especially for a speciman like what u want in that front yard.

more about maples and skin splitting:
maple bark injury - Yahoo! Search Results

Garry Brockley

I was taught that once the roots start to grow around the root ball you can never straighten them, as the tree bends all the roots from that point on. it starts from leaving the sapplings in a too small pot for too long before potting on/ or planting into a too small hole when planting out.
personally for the money i would call it toast and buy another tree and ensure that the next one is planted correctly.
Cakes its nice to see someone with a good knowledge of fruit trees on here

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