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From: jamesgangnc on 29 Jul 2010 09:24
On Jul 29, 8:54 am, Sum Guy <S...(a)Guy.com> wrote:
> ransley wrote:
> > > Moisture could not be trapped - this is a vertical surface we're
> > > talking about - roughly a circle about 3" diameter.
>
> > what insect makes a hole 3"
>
> The exposed inner heart-wood of the tree has a circular profile and is
> 3" in diameter, and it oriented vertically with respect to the ground.
> This is where a secondary trunk had been, which was cut maybe 2 or 3
> years ago.
>
> This circular area was sprayed with pruning paint last year.  The
> surface was solid and intact at that time.  The bark is growing nicely
> around the perimiter of this area (this is a silver maple).  I have two
> such similar cuts on a sugar maple - the exposed area was even larger (4
> or 5") and painted them soon after the cut was made.  This was about 5
> years ago.  They are 75% covered over now by the growing bark, and they
> remained solid (no rot, holes, fissures developing in them).
>
> Getting back to the silver maple, at some point this year I noticed the
> appearance of some cracks or voids on the cut surface along with what
> looked like sawdust shavings around the crack.  Yesterday I shoved the
> plastic dispensing nozzle of a tube of PL Premium deep into the main
> crack (it went in all the way - I wasn't expecting that) and I pumped
> the crack full of glue.

Seems like that would be ok. It's going to be a weak spot even after
the tree grows over it. But there's nothing you can do about that.
From: Sum Guy on 29 Jul 2010 09:25
JimT wrote:

> Decks and other exposed wood which has been cut and milled
> into lumber is no longer alive...
>
> Wood on a tree is still alive and growing...

As has already been mentioned, the wood inside a tree under the bark is
actually dead wood. The only difference between it and the lumber you
buy at Lowes is that the wood in the tree hasn't been milled.

> It is best to leave tree wounds alone and allow them to heal
> naturally... Exceptions to this logic are rare...

If the exposed surface is large enough, the wood can rot and/or be
attacked by insects before the tree has a chance to grow bark to cover
it.

I think that different climates can be more problematic than others. In
the north-east and great-lakes area, you have a shorter growing season
(takes more time to cover exposed cuts with bark) and lots of humidity
and freeze-thaw action in the winter, both of which is hard on untreated
exposed wood.
From: Sum Guy on 29 Jul 2010 09:34
"Marty B." wrote:

> Silver maple is a garbage tree. Why you would want to save the
> thing is beyond comprehension.

I have lots of trees in my large back yard, and this tree is near my
back fence, it's about 30 feet tall, and provides privacy between me and
the apartment building across the street behind me.

If I could go to a big-box building store or nursery and bring home a 20
or 30 foot mature tree of my choice and plant it exactly where I wanted
it, like I can do with a flag pole or a mail box, then sure we'd all be
doing that.

But trees don't grow on trees (so to speak). We can put up skyscrapers
in only a year or two, but it takes decades for a tree to grow to the
size that you want them to be. Until we can easily replace mature trees
with other mature trees in a few hours or days, I don't think I'm going
to be cutting mine down because it's not exactly the tree I might want
in a given location.

If you ask me, we need more trees and fewer people on this god-damn
planet.
From: RicodJour on 29 Jul 2010 10:06
On Jul 29, 9:25 am, Sum Guy <S...(a)Guy.com> wrote:
> JimT wrote:
> > Decks and other exposed wood which has been cut and milled
> > into lumber is no longer alive...
>
> > Wood on a tree is still alive and growing...
>
> As has already been mentioned, the wood inside a tree under the bark is
> actually dead wood.  The only difference between it and the lumber you
> buy at Lowes is that the wood in the tree hasn't been milled.
>
> > It is best to leave tree wounds alone and allow them to heal
> > naturally...  Exceptions to this logic are rare...
>
> If the exposed surface is large enough, the wood can rot and/or be
> attacked by insects before the tree has a chance to grow bark to cover
> it.
>
> I think that different climates can be more problematic than others.  In
> the north-east and great-lakes area, you have a shorter growing season
> (takes more time to cover exposed cuts with bark) and lots of humidity
> and freeze-thaw action in the winter, both of which is hard on untreated
> exposed wood.

The non-cambium layers of a tree's wood is dead, but not dead in the
way animals die. Wood is pretty stupid, pardon my French - it doesn't
_know_ it's dead. So it keeps on trying to fulfill its function which
is to transport water. It will do this whether or not it is still in
tree form or built into a deck or whatever.

Any coating put on a tree that is intended to protect it from water
will interfere with the tree's eons-long evolution of its healing
process.

It is important how, when and where to prune limbs. Improper pruning
will not allow the tree to heal.
http://www.gardenguides.com/69432-prune-silver-maple.html
"Prune maples during their dormant period when you can see their shape
and branches. Pruning in late fall or early winter removes wood when
pests and diseases are not likely to thrive on the green wood."
"Avoid making "flush" cuts that destroy the bark collar or "stub" cuts
that leave exposed wood beyond the collar that may be susceptible to
disease."

Murphy's Law predicts that the most 'important' trees will suffer the
most egregious fates. If you need a tree for privacy, don't expect it
to be around forever.

A general overview of the Silver Maple:
http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/ACESACA.pdf
It's not a forever tree, it has 'issues'.

R
From: Jim Elbrecht on 29 Jul 2010 13:21
On Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:01:20 -0400, "Marty B." <none(a)none.net> wrote:
-snip-
>Silver maple is a garbage tree. The wood is soft because they grow so
>fast. Surely you've noticed how they break during wind, and how fast those
>things grow. Why you would want to save the thing is beyond comprehension.

Not the OP-- but here's why I want *my* silver maple. It is 150
years old & has more character than I can afford to buy. It also
shades the back of my house and my patio.

It is messy-- it drops limbs, seeds, buds, and leaves during the year.

But it also provides a few gallons of sweet maple syrup when the
spirit moves me to tap it.

Jim
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