Hole in tree

[Edgelake]

Greetings. my mom has a Silver leaf maple in Dallas with a serious hole, holding water and rotting. I assume this is why the upper parts of the tree are dying. There is some regrowth up there, but I fear we are at the tipping point to save the tree.

any recommendations on if we can save it and how to proceed? [We will probably need to do this work ourselves]

View attachment 153103

 

[pdqdl]

I can't tell if your photo is showing any dieback above the "hole", but that hole is a pruning injury that shows symmetrical callus formation [this is good!]. I think it is ok; just leave it alone.

Consider having an arborist evaluate the entire tree for possible thinning, cabling, or other proper maintenance techniques.

That looks like a silver maple, and they are not generally considered too sturdy, yet quite tolerant of extensive trimming and pruning. If you have sensitive targets beneath it, you should probably consider some crown reduction.

 

[Edgelake]

die back

indeed there has been dieback, and it has gotten much worse this year. the hole has been there for at least 5 years, and holds water. I do not think it will close unless i do something.

thanks for ideas!

 

[pdqdl]

The appearance of the hole suggests to me that it will eventually close, providing the limb survives another 5 years or so.

I do not know, but I suspect that retained water in a decay orifice is not really a big deal. If all goes well, a tree will compartmentalize and wall off any decay. If decay breaches the barrier that the tree puts up, then you have an expanding cavity that grows faster than the branch diameter, leading to eventual failure.

That is pretty high up in the tree. How are you getting up there to evaluate whether it is full of water?

 

[treeseer]

Greetings. my mom has a Silver leaf maple in Dallas with a serious hole, holding water and rotting. I assume this is why the upper parts of the tree are dying.

Why assume this? I do not see the connection.

If the top is declining, improve the soil around the roots.

They are more connected to leaves than the rot in that hole, which may be as significant as a pimple.

See the whole tree, and listen to pgdl.

 

[Edgelake]

hole in tree trunk

the hole is about 6' up
used a stick and dipped it: 2" of water [no rain for two weeks] saw a bird get a drink which alerted me.

the hole is probably to the center of the diameter and drops to about 4" below the lower part of the opening callous.

the upper limbs are dying and breaking off- see the area inside the dashed line on the picture to the left

certainly I can amend the surrounding soils but I can't imagine the hole is helping matters.

thanks again.

 

[pdqdl]

I understand. I thought the boxed area was where the hole in the tree was.

Well...it still looks like it is healing ok.