Woodpecker Damage on Silver Maple...Should We Remove

[T70]

We have a 60-70 ft Silver Maple that's probably around 65 years old in our backyard. It's currently scheduled to be removed at the end of the week.

It's endured a lot of damage from woodpeckers over the last 6-7 years to the point that a couple of medium-sized branches have broken off of it (one fell onto our roof). It's had 3 nests already with one hole being fairly large and deep into a primary branch. That hole you see in the pics is 3 years old and has yet to compartmentalized as well. The tree is situated between our house and our neighbor's so it's definitely always been a concern in terms of safety.

We've had several arborists and pest control people over to give their opinions and options on what we could do to save this tree. The consensus is nothing can really guarantee that the woodpeckers will leave it alone. Even if we did annual pest treatments there's no guarantee that the damage is already done and the heartwood of the tree is in decline. I've tried owls, reflective spinners and sound machines and those failed miserably.

I was dead set on removal until this morning. I started wondering if we were overreacting and having the tree removed prematurely. My primary concerns are safety and property damage. Could we solve the insect issue? Or is the heartwood of the tree in decline and there's nothing we can do about it?

To those familiar with woodpeckers, what has been your experience? Do we keep throwing money and time at this tree annually to try and control the insect population? Is it too late?

 

[Kaveman]

Some trees are just in the wrong spot.

Woodpeckers can tend to fixate.

Remove and replace the tree with something that won't grow to become a danger in your lifetime, something better suited to that particular situation.

It sucks, I get it, but your roof has already taken a hit, don't chance it.

You care enough to consult professionals. Thats why you're here. Listen to their advise. I don't like picking on a perfectly good tree, but your's ain't perfect, and I'd kill it.

 

[flushcut]

The wood pecker isn’t the cause and generally neither are the bugs it’s going after. The tree already has some kind of decay going on inside that the bugs went after and then attracted the woodpecker.

I would suggest removal and replanting. Silver maples get big and are problematic being weak wooded prone to storm damage and messy in general shedding twigs year round.

 

[T70]

Yeah, my gut tells me removal is the right move. I'm the first one to tell you I don't get emotionally attached to things but this tree has me reeling. It's given us 9 years of shade and lower energy bills since moving in...and it just really was the centerpiece of our backyard. It's tough to see it go.

 

[SeanKroll]

How experienced are the arborists...or are they more aptly called treeworkers?

Did they discuss a maintenance plan with reducing pruning?

 

[T70]

@SeanKroll All of the quotes I received were from ISA certified arborists which was really important for me. I even got quotes from pest control outfits who might even be incentivized to recommend a pest treatment plan and they all basically told me the same thing. The company doing the removal is solid. They gave me a copy of their active insurance and we've had them do smaller jobs for our family in the past. Aside from the anxiety of a crane lifting a tree over our house (and the possibility of a cracked driveway) I've come to terms with its removal.

 

[flushcut]

There are other varieties of fast growing trees that can be planted and trained for the space. The beauty of trees is that they grow. IMO our only renewable resource.

 

[T70]

@flushcut I was thinking something (or maybe a couple) of columnar trees in that space would be nice. We want to shade the patio from the western sun mostly. Definitely want to avoid a tree that grows wide.

 

[friedrich]

interesting, wood pecker holes/cavities are protected in germany. removal is really the last resort. all kinds of animals live in those cavities… bats… silver maples will probably behave much different in the us compared to germany but even though they do rot i think modest reduction is a good short-midterm option.

 

[Nutball]

Silver maples rot very quickly, and are a soft and weak wood.

What about replacing it with a Dawn Redwood?

If a tree doesn't get root bound in a pot or it's tap root disturbed, it can grow very fast with regular watering and fertilizer. Direct seeding is ideal, but can set back the height for the first year or two.

 

[flushcut]

@flushcut I was thinking something (or maybe a couple) of columnar trees in that space would be nice. We want to shade the patio from the western sun mostly. Definitely want to avoid a tree that grows wide.

So more late afternoon/evening sun? I really like Emerald Arborvitae but deer find them tasty. If you go that route get the tallest one you can afford but 7-8’ minimum, just to make sure they are tall enough to get above grazing height. There are also a few columnar juniper varieties to look at that are deer resistant. Where are you located?

 

[Nutball]

Spartan Juniper

What about Green Giant arborvitae and just trim off the lower branches when it gets big?

I've seen some crepe myrtle get near 30ft, that might look good there.

 

[Altissimus]

Personally not a big Silver Maple fan , always wondered why so popular a residential planting , probably rapid growth rate. Overall not a strong Tree to me , so

 

[T70]

I’m in Salt Lake City, UT. We have a row of arborvitae. Now that they’re established they’re doing well but it takes a lot of water to get them to establish.

 

[T70]

@friedrich We considered keeping it another year or two but that branch with the large cavity is holding up a good portion of the tree and, if given enough time like the dead branch that fell on the roof, would probably end up on the neighbor’s roof (or through it given the size).

I think this tree would just become a money, time and anxiety pit…but we were entertaining keeping it if we could somehow fix the issue. Sad to see it go.

 

[Altissimus]

Sometimes a trim buys a little time before eventual removal , when I was a rook I always thought it chupid until seeing it's a big part of the Arbor Gig (it is a removal job just in increments). Done it my place many times.

 

[SeanKroll]

Dead branches fall from trees. It should be expected.

Pay if pruning is commonly removing deadwood that poses a risk.


There was no indication of where the cavity is.

If the trunk is holding up the tree now, it should be able to hold up 2/3's of the same amount after pruning for reduction of load and leverage.



I hope you have a good arborist.

An ISA Certified Arborist exam is like a Driver's License... getting it takes study and skill. Itneither prevents breaking rules of the road intentionally, nor indicated the experience of being 20 years in the field after getting the basics down and having continuing experience and training.

 

[T70]

The hole is in one of the 4 or 5 main branches coming off the main trunk. So it’s holding up two fairly good branches on its own (with one hanging over my neighbor’s house). By my estimation ithe hole is maybe 1/3 to 1/2 through the diameter of that branch and a good 8” down (sounds like woodpeckers make an upside down L cavity for their nests.

The outfit I hired is solid. Solid reviews, we’ve used them a couple of times for smaller jobs and the owner is ISA Certified (multiple certifications within the ISA umbrella). Active insurance (they readily supplied proof of insurance and I called their insurance to verify). I feel as good as I can about them doing the removal. Mainly just concerned with property damage at this point.

 

[mdvaden]

interesting, wood pecker holes/cavities are protected in germany. removal is really the last resort. all kinds of animals live in those cavities… bats… silver maples will probably behave much different in the us compared to germany but even though they do rot i think modest reduction is a good short-midterm option.

Since the power line or previous topping (reduction) seems to be a likely cause of the internal decay and rot, it's almost certain that any amount of reduction will trigger more rot and decline.

Given the location around power and building along with the cavity and decay and wounds, that tree wouldn't stand more than a month if it were our house. Provided giving time for nesting time to lapse.

Another idea that wouldnt' be found in an arborist magazine, would be to heavily prune the tree to remove weight load with a goal of removing in a few years and planting a replacement. Although, the replacement would not be habitat.

 

[T70]

One thing I didn’t mention is when we moved in we had to remove A LOT of roots of that tree in order to put in the patio next to it. Since then I’ve wondered if that contributed to its decline as well. We were having to pull out pretty large roots.

The tree was removed yesterday. Went flawlessly. Crew was legit in terms of efficiency. Arborists do incredible (and dangerous) work.

 

[flushcut]

Root damage could have certainly been a cause of decline.

 

[T70]

That’s what I was afraid of. During the entire yard renovation I was worried about this but roots were in places where they would be in the way of irrigation lines, the patio, etc. I hope this didn’t contribute to the decline but maybe it did.

 

[flushcut]

There are two types of roots the large woody roots that everyone thinks of and fine hairy mats inbetween the woody roots. The fine hairs feed the tree and the woody ones stabilize the tree. The root zone of a tree is several times the canopy diameter. Root damage is mirrored in the canopy, several canopy issues are root issues first. And the majority of roots are shallow like 16” or less.

 

[Kaveman]

Cutting roots definitely caused the tree to decline. Yes you compromised it. You left that bit out in the initial discussion. Had you not ommited that fact, we could have easily told you removal is the only option. Cutting roots ultimately dooms the tree.

 

[Cobleskill]

My neighbors yard had 4 maple trees in it since I was young. Really made the yard. I thought so since i was a kid. Next owner came in and put in a garage and a wrap around drive. The 3 they encroached on are gone now.