I would really LOVE to see how the tree looks now! I have this same tree and I never knew this was something I would need to do. I planted one with my son a few years ago and it’s taken forever to grow. I use fertilizer in the Spring and it’s been watered daily and pruned when needed, and I was unaware of this care it would need. Thank you for posting this educational video and if you could please share a new video of how it grew better because of what you did, that would be amazing!
My autumn blaze maple is just a few years old and I planted it in January. I had a tree trimmer come to prune my fruit trees and he cut off about two feet off my maple’s central leader. Is this ever a good idea? It was shaped beautifully. I feel like now it will create a Y, am I wrong,?
First off, there is nothing in the title that says “teaching” so your comment seems pretty useless. With that said, anyone who is interested in learning how to prune an ABM can watch this and learn something from it.
Had to remove a 50 year old silver maple from my front yard. It was so sad but due to the trunk split that they have I could risk it weakening g and falling on my house. I literally cried after it was done. We have planted an October Glory Maple in its place. A much smaller maple. It’s turning out to be a wonderful tree.
I know the feeling of losing an old tree, especially if it was older then oneself. I’m glad you planted a new one in its place. I hope your tree still a beautiful one. ❤
Great video and explanation. Appreciate the commentary before making the cuts and also the before and after. Curious to know if you climbed up to get your rope in the tree or were you able to set it from the ground. Thank you 👍🏻
My mother planted one of these when I was a child now that it's a good 60 70 feet tall its terrifying when the wind is up. Its wood is so weak but no one want to listen ssoo when it lands on my fathers lap in a downslope event I hope he makes it out alive. It has some of the weakest wood I've seen I can literall grab a tiny branch and gently pull and bring down a huge chunk of the tree
Thinking about how well Japanese maples take to air layering would definitely suggest this maple would have potential. Unfortunately our climate does not support a long enough growing season to produce successful air layering (in theory). I may need to reach out to a couple local nurseries and see if they have any trees they would be willing to experiment with 🤔.
Absolutely! Properly structure pruning young trees is less invasive and sets the tree up for minimal pruning in its future. Young trees grow vigorously with a goal of growing. They have lots of energy to use towards growth and healing. Once mature, a tree has more of a mentality of just sustaining itself.
This video reminds me of my neighbor's old red maple tree. It was 60 ft tall, but it was brought down by the severe derecho storm last August (Iowa). The tree was beautiful overall, but its core structure was a dense mess, including a lot of vertical branches competing with the leader. It really could have used some pruning earlier in its life.
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you. How often do you get to use the airspade? Do you use it for other jobs too like digging trenches for fences etc? Is it worth to buy one and a compressor like that? Thank you Read Matthew 5,6,7 to be blessed eternally with life everlasting
It really depends on the size of area to be trenched, what kind of material we are working with, spread of canopy etc. Too many factors to give a price.
This is an amazing video. The real-time decisions on reducing and removing. The comment on thinning vs structural pruning. The three cut method in practice. Wow. As an armchair/backyard arborist I really enjoyed watching and learned a lot. I really hope you can do more of these structural pruning videos. If possible, maybe an Ulmus or Zelkova? They have unruly whips with no leader and its hard to develop a leader on a young tree. Keep up the awesome work.
wow, I really appreciate that and glad you were able to learn from it (that's the goal)! I have been lacking on making videos lately but do plan on getting back to it soon. I know what you mean about Ulmus. Our main variety here is Ulmus pumila which grows like a weed and it's hard to find one with potential to be a "choice" tree. Zelkova are few and far between here, they don't get very big, and borers love them! Very difficult to structure prune unless you catch them very young. If the opportunity arises to work on either of these two I'll do my best to film it. Thanks again!
@@kevinvanbrunt7498 I'd love more structural pruning videos on any species. (Of course, only if you have the time to film/edit.) I think it will be a great channel. Subscribed and thank you!
Kevin - thanks for this great demo! It has been so helpful as my tree is very similar to the one you are working on here. Question, if you would be so kind as to respond - how many years do you think it would take for the tree to fill in after removing the competing leader like your doing? The weak-point for my tree is lower on the tree. There are few inner branches growing from the weak point...or crotch on up that would make the tree look balanced after the competing leader is removed.
Very glad you enjoyed the video. As for your question, it will depend on a few factors. First, how your growing conditions are for your particular tree (soil, climate, exposure, etc.). For an example, these Autumn blaze do pretty good in most of Boise, but start to stress the more West you go and you can really see the difference in how they react after pruning. A young healthy tree like the one in this video will fill in quite nicely and potentially need another dose, which will be minimal, in 5-7 years from time of pruning. It will also depend on how much pruning is initially needed, as well as the size of cuts that need to be made. It's hard to give "exacts" as every situation is different. I hope this helps and/or answers your question a little.
Great work on this one! Side note, excellent responses to some of comments 👍🏼 the armchair arborist keeps very busy on RU-vid while the rest of us are out making it happen. Sounds like you're pretty close to BOI
Thanks man! I try to keep responses as helpful and educational as possible. A lot of times there are factual responses that will end the "trolls" desire to win an argument. It can get quite difficult sometimes though. By BOI I'm guessing you mean Boise? I thought you sounded familiar and sure enough you and I had messaged on the buzz about a potential move. So yes, in Boise. Let me know how those plans come along because work is picking up nicely and we need as much legitimate arborists in the area as possible!
@@kevinvanbrunt7498 yea BOI, the airport! I am that guy! We are just getting the house prepped for sale. I'd love to make it this spring but I don't think it will be until fall with how things are progressing. If it sells quick, we will be on our way! Still toying with the idea of renting until it sells but that plan really isn't the best for the area. Can't wait to get into some bigger trees out that way! Have a great day!
They can be depending on how close you are thinking of planting. I have seen them lift up concrete walkways, but not so much a home foundation. Close enough and I'm sure it could though. I would recommend if planting close to a house to install some root barrier along your areas of concern to eliminate the potential before it becomes a problem.
Wow! The ONLY reason I would keep that in my front yard is so I would have a place to sleep at night when the wife kicks me out of the house😂. Nice channel dude! *NEW SUB ALERT*
I would have thought an arborist's measuring instrument would have been a rake, not a shovel, but either way its a great model. I AMY HAVE TO STEAL THAT ONE!
Guy Meilleur would be proud. He's been advocating this type of preservation for a long time. I think the tree is fairly safe, though cottonwoods don't get that big around here. There just isn't enough weight up top or sail to break the pipe.
@@kevinvanbrunt7498 I was very disappointed with Gilman's talk a few years back at the Penn Del conference. That's what Guy and I were coming back from when we had that conversation and while Gilman had lead me to believe he was going to encourage retrenchment or reduction pruning on overextended large horizontal limbs, he made nearly no mention of it. There is a well-funded movement that is interested in keeping knowledge out of the hands of the entrepreneur arborist, so Bartlett and the big boys can charge twice what the average Joe does and get away with it, because they have the knowledge and we don't. The internet has somewhat leveled that playing field, but I've been told many times don't make enemies by calling them out on this.
That is a bit of a bummer and see how that would be disappointing. The couple times I have seen him speak he did a great job touching on reduction and retrenchment. It is a massive shame that more arborists dont get into the game of proper arboraculture. My market is extremely competitive but having learned what I have through Gilman gives me quite the advantage. Literally myself and one other company in my area prune to extend the life of the tree. Everyone else takes an aesthetic approach.
No, it wouldnt as a tree needs to grow to survive. Both roots and canopy. In theory you could take sort of a bonsai approach and root prune every couple years as well as a canopy reduction every few years. Would be extremely labor intensive as well as stressful for the tree. You would be better off planting a tree shorter growth characteristics.
@@kevinvanbrunt7498 In theory I can just grow a tree in a pot, and put the pot in the ground? That would limit it's size as the size of the pot would limit the size of the tree. Maybe just cut a hole in the bottom of the pot for better drainage.
@@jzizzles7799 You would still have to root prune to allow space for roots to grow. If the roots can't continue to grow, the tree will die. When you root prune you will then have to reduce the canopy because root loss will lead to canopy desiccation to balance its root/canopy ratio. It will be an ongoing maintenance, but doable to an extent.
Structural pruning to retain apical dominance on an excurrent form type tree that has been classified as one of the most Superior surviving Urban species ever. _Nice!_ Otherwise professionals just force crown lift past where codominance stems diverge. Will you be managing against emerald ash borer until danger from fatal infestation populations inevitably passes locally? Here is a link to my arborist blog listing accumulated details regarding how we kicked EAB's big-Ass here in Chicago.
Thanks for the kind words. Lazy/uneducated pruning habits around here run rampant and I am doing my best to show how it should be done (thanks Ed Gilman). EAB is still pretty far off from us here in Boise, Idaho and the closest outbreak is in Boulder, Colorado. I know it could come at any time and my goal for my clients at the moment is structure pruning and root collar excavations to remove as many stressors as possible. We do have lilac ash borer that are more annoying than detrimental so a lot of our ash are loaded with imidicloprid. I"m not an applicator but I am monitoring for the inevitable appearance of EAB. Your link did'nt come through so maybe try again because I would love to read it!
Here's that link I forgot to include scottieashseed.wordpress.com Also another after effect of costliest natural disaster urban forestry. Was how after a great number of communities assuming it would be easier replanting with new trees. By time second replacement trees were needed, then began to finally realize once spending in total same cost that would have protected original tree for the next 120 years! How embarrassing 100% we're arriving with their trunks already too deep in their root ball straight from nurseries! Experts here at our Morton Arboretum, including the one man that was first to suggest people begin applying mulch around trees. After his field studies revealed how Roots were being suffocated from the lawn.. Now expect more trees to be lost to today's mulch mounding fad, then succumbing over the past 40 years in total to Emerald Ash Borer and Dutch elm disease combined! Worse still, it's all those new trees which will be most sensitive to root suffocation caused by over.
Kevin, your comment about thinning out a tree is only a sales pitch is a really UNPROFESSIONAL, IGNORANT, INCORRECT comment that you should retract/correct. Maples especially are MUCH HEALTHIER and even MORE BEAUTIFUL when they look AIRY. You can see the TRUNK STRUCTURE and SHAPE much better and the LEAVES LOOK MORE BEAUTIFUL with light/sun coming through. Surprised you made such a rookie comment!!!!!
Really? Making a tree LOOK NICE has absolutely nothing to do with the health of a tree. "Shaping" trees is absolutely unnecessary so sounds like your understanding of proper arboraculture is far from sound. Maples are also extremely sensitive to sun scald, especially in my area, so if you think you need to be able to see the trunk also means the sun can. Now let that one resinate! Nothing about this video is unprofessional, besides your comment, and the only ones offended will be the ones who sell garbage work and dont want the public to grasp that fact. Look into Ed Gilman and his work, then come back with an apology. Good day.
Too many towns have been sold that ALL TREES need to be trimmed . Such a sham. I have seen beautiful healthy trees get “trimmed wrong and die within a year”. To many businesses talking about cutting and trimming but no one talks about planting. When i moved into my town, it was a a beautiful tree town, shade everywhere. Then Com Ed the tree butchers started and then companies convinced our town we needed every tree on the easement trimmed. And now our canopy is mostly gone . Nobody replants and companies don’t promote it. Sooo sad .
As Ed Gilman, from the University of Florida, would say, "Structural pruning is a better way of thinning a tree". Also, I've never heard an Arborist use the term "Look Airy" on a pruning prescription.
