Pruning Maple Trees

[locked&loaded]

I'm going to upload pictures of the trees after I've pruned them -- so Del can tell me I did it incorrectly.

 

[pdqdl]

Norway maples are invasive and should be removed.

Plant better trees.

You are a pretty good guy most of the time, but you are way off here. Consider doing your research a bit better. Notice that the OP is in Utah?

Acer Plantanoides (Norway Maple) is the first maple tree recommended for the state of Utah, as listed by the University of Utah.

https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/maples-in-the-landscape​

"Norway maple (Acer platanoides): This group of maples is well adapted to the Intermountain West and is typically tolerant of alkaline soil and arid climate. Norway maple is probably the most commonly planted maple in the Intermountain West. They are considered somewhat shallowrooted, and roots may interfere with sidewalks and other landscape plants. The papery, “helicopter” seeds (samaras) of Norway maples may become weedy in certain situations (Figure 2)."​

 

[pdqdl]

Nothing threw me off. ...
You likely don't know much about them.
Plant trees that are worthy of maintaining.

I think somebody needs to quit throwing stones when they are hanging out in the "needs more information" greenhouse.

See my note above.

 

[pdqdl]

Fun fact: I posted some tree pictures on a different arborist site and received a bit more friendly reply informing me that what I have are in fact NOT Norway maples. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Del.

C'mon back and please be patient. I'll let Del give you pruning advice, because I'll bet his remarks and explanations are high quality stuff after he get the kinks worked out of his stiff neck.

 

[pdqdl]

Hello-
I'm glad to have found this site as it is full of valuable information and knowledgeable people.

I have a handful of maple trees (I believe Norway maple) in my yard. These are beautiful, healthy trees. However, the lower branches are only about 2-feet from the ground, which makes it challenging to mow around. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize the health of these trees. Is there any issue or concern with cutting off all the lower branches so the lowest branch is more in the neighborhood of 5-feet from the ground? If this is ok to do, is there a time of year that is best?

Thanks so much in advance for any direction you experts can provide.

Elevating your trees by removing some of the lower branches with proper pruning cuts will not harm your trees in any way.
Don’t go overboard, just take off enough to allow you to comfortably mow below the trees.
Lower limbs contribute to good trunk taper, so don’t go too high.
Del is a knowledgeable arborist but sometimes gets persnickety regarding invasive species.

Jed1124 is pretty much on target all the time. I agree with his comments, although I am usually a bit inclined to take a bit more off than some folks do. I like to prune for the future, rather than the present.

Try to understand that nearly all landscape trees need corrective pruning, as they are seldom growing in their natural conditions: a forest. All the trees in a forest are competing for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water. The norway maples are considered invasive in some parts of this country because they are better at competing with some of the native species.

As a young seedling grows in the forest, it is better adapted for low sunlight and dense competition in the root zone. They grow quickly with a naturally oriented "vertical" pattern of growth, since they are densely packed in the forest, squeezing between their superiors as quickly as possible. Under these conditions, most trees naturally shed their lower branches, as they don't get enough sunlight and are just an energy drain on the plant.

Now let's take that highly competitive tree and put it in an urban landscape. The toughest competition is the lawn, so they grow rapidly sideways, as well as upwards. The lower branches are seldom naturally shed, as they are not competing with the adjacent trees for the available sunlight. Their growth habit needs human intervention in order to acquire that majestic shape they reach naturally in the forest.

Sometimes these lower branches are allowed to grow excessively large and turn vertical, competing with the core of the tree and the central leader. If allowed to continue to grow, these branches will eventually cause problems, become hazardous and structurally weak, as well as being a certain injury to the tree when they are finally removed. I suspect that your branches only two feet off the ground may be falling into that category.

Let's please get some pictures, and even Del will have some great advice for you. Besides, I'll bet he is rethinking his comments about invasive when planted out west.

 

[pdqdl]

Thank you. I very much appreciate your response. ...

This post I am quoting contained a quote by Jed1124, but that quote contained additional comments edited in by you.

Please be aware that if you quote another person, their quote should not be edited to appear like they said something they did not. Please be careful to avoid any such appearance when you quote someone.

'Nuff said?

 

[locked&loaded]

This post I am quoting contained a quote by Jed1124, but that quote contained additional comments edited in by you.

Please be aware that if you quote another person, their quote should not be edited to appear like they said something they did not. Please be careful to avoid any such appearance when you quote someone.

'Nuff said?

First off, let me thank you for your very informative post above. Much appreciated.

I'm not entirely sure what I did to edit Jed1124s post, but I certainly wasn't attempting to make it appear that he said something that he didn't.

 

[locked&loaded]

You are a pretty good guy most of the time, but you are way off here. Consider doing your research a bit better. Notice that the OP is in Utah?

Acer Plantanoides (Norway Maple) is the first maple tree recommended for the state of Utah, as listed by the University of Utah.

https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/maples-in-the-landscape​

"Norway maple (Acer platanoides): This group of maples is well adapted to the Intermountain West and is typically tolerant of alkaline soil and arid climate. Norway maple is probably the most commonly planted maple in the Intermountain West. They are considered somewhat shallowrooted, and roots may interfere with sidewalks and other landscape plants. The papery, “helicopter” seeds (samaras) of Norway maples may become weedy in certain situations (Figure 2)."​

Zing!!
I think I now know Del well enough to say this is going to be a real blow to his ego. I for one just hope he comes back once the sting has worn off.

 

[locked&loaded]

Final question on this topic: Does it matter what time of year I prune these maples? Is middle of summer just as good a time as any?
Thank you.

 

[Mad Professor]

Final question on this topic: Does it matter what time of year I prune these maples? Is middle of summer just as good a time as any?
Thank you.

Usually best done when dormant.

We are still waiting for pictures.......

 

[pdqdl]

Cut 'em off when your saw is sharp. Let me recommend terminating any branches a foot or more out from the trunk, and then prune the stub back to the branch bark collar. This is important!

Make sure your initial cut is an undercut, so as to not peel the bark down the side of the tree. If you undercut properly, then top cut, you can avoid the heavy branch falling and scoring the bark on the tree when it falls, too. Finish with the stub being cut off at the right spot.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

It takes a little more than a couple internet posts to bruise a tree climbers ego...

Zing!!
I think I now know Del well enough to say this is going to be a real blow to his ego. I for one just hope he comes back once the sting has worn off

 

[locked&loaded]

Cut 'em off when your saw is sharp. Let me recommend terminating any branches a foot or more out from the trunk, and then prune the stub back to the branch bark collar. This is important!

Make sure your initial cut is an undercut, so as to not peel the bark down the side of the tree. If you undercut properly, then top cut, you can avoid the heavy branch falling and scoring the bark on the tree when it falls, too. Finish with the stub being cut off at the right spot.

View attachment 996511

Fantastic information. Thank you. Just picked myself up a new pruning saw this morning, so I'm going to have a go at it tomorrow morning.

 

[locked&loaded]

It takes a little more than a couple internet posts to bruise a tree climbers ego...

Unless said 'tree climber' is Del. His short journey from outspoken arrogance to silence after pdqdl rebuked his claim about Norway maples in UT sure looks like bruised ego from where I'm standing. It's always fun to see a bully get shut down with substantiated facts.

 

[pdqdl]

Del is quite expert at most things tree related. It's just an unfortunate turn of climate that turns an invasive tree on the east coast and up north into a preferred tree in Utah. Quite frankly, I was surprised at the invasive label being stuck on the Norways, on account of the fact I've never removed one from an unwelcome location, and they are quite common at the local nurseries. With an invasive label being tagged onto a common tree in my area, I had to do a bit more research and find out how they were considered in Utah.

Don't for a moment think that I know that amount of details about any tree. I'm well informed, but I'll never be that good. I don't expect anyone else to know everything about every tree, either.

 

[locked&loaded]

Lets say I have a 2' long branch I want to completely remove from the trunk of a tree. Are you saying to cut that branch in half before cutting at the trunk?
Why would you do that?

I found this video to be very helpful and outlines exactly what pdqdl is describing:

 

[locked&loaded]

Don't for a moment think that I know that amount of details about any tree. I'm well informed, but I'll never be that good. I don't expect anyone else to know everything about every tree, either.

Nor would I. You're obviously very knowledgeable, willing to share what you know those wanting to learn and you do it with decorum. This is what newbies like myself hope to find when coming to such a forum. Thank you for your help.

 

[locked&loaded]

Tree #1 before

Tree #1 After

Trees #2 and #3 Before

Trees #2 and #3 After

Tree #4 Before

Tree #4 After

 

[locked&loaded]

Thanks. That guy needs a sawsall.

I do too! I own one, but haven't been using it for pruning. I just finished up 4 trees out front with a pruning saw and have a dozen more to do out back and my right arm is already feeling it!

 

[pdqdl]

Thanks. That guy needs a sawsall.
That's what I do. I thought pdqdl was saying make that first cut and leave it for some time period before making the final cut.
Why do you have to wait for the limb to be 1" to 2" before removing?

Nope. My instructions were meant to follow that video's instructions exactly. That being said, his reasoning for not making a flush cut are incomplete. A more thorough explanation could be had by studying up on tree injury compartmentalization.

I was imagining, however, much larger limbs positioned lower on the Norway maple tree and of much greater diameter. Also, I was thinking chainsaws, not hand saws.

As to sawzalls? They should never be used for pruning. They make jagged cuts, they are likely to get pinched and break a blade, but mostly because the shoes that control the cut will bang up the remaining bark. It is particularly difficult to make a good cut on the branch bark collar with one "stop" from the sawzall banging sideways on the sloping wood. To the extent that the shoe keeps the user from making flush cuts... I guess they aren't all bad.