"Han" wrote in message
...
"Robert Green" wrote in
:

Recently, a red ribbon was stapled to the big red maple tree out front
in the city right of way. I came to find out the tree is slated for
removal, but I don't know why. There's a lot of mold on the upper
trunk and branches and one, open, very black and slimy knot hole about
half way up.

I can't imagine the cash-strapped city would spend $ to take it down
for no reason, but the tree's fully leafed out so I know it's not
dead. There was one branch that had no leaves close to the base, but
it's always grown that way, with the lowest branches losing their
leaves, then dying and just dropping off, the holes healing up and new
growth continuing from the top.

It's a big tree, about 75' tall. I'd hate to lose it, but it is sort
of growing at angle toward my house so that if it did fall over, it
would definitely hit the front bedroom with a good 10' of thick trunk.

I did notice a crack in the moss growing all the way around the base
of the tree. The tree had obviously leaned in a heavy wind and caused
the ground around its roots to lift about an inch. Anyone have any
ideas why my tree has been "marked for death?"

--
Bobby G.

I don't know about red maples, but the ordinary street trees that look
like maples have a maximum life span of 60-70 years. Given all the signs
of disease, you probably have a tree ready to give the ghost. I remember
vaguely, because it was talked about so much later on, that all the fruit
trees in a part of Holland (Zeeland) inundated by seawater in February
1953 bloomed exquisitely that spring then died from the saline poisoning.
Your tree may very well have leafed out (and you didn't say, bloomed
tremendously) because it is dying.

That's a good call. Well, it's not dying anymore, it's hunked up in
sections lying on my front lawn, stone dead. )-: I had no idea that street
trees had a limited lifespan, but it makes sense. They have all sorts of
things to contend with that a tree in the country doesn't have to face. I
am trying to recall whether it bloomed this year. I seem to remember a lot
less pollen than usual, but that's a really subjective analysis. I'm afraid
I just didn't notice whether it bloomed or not.

The saline story is interesting. I guess a tree's slow "metabolism" means
that poisons take a long time to work their way fully into the tree. Up
until now the only tree care rule I knew was that you don't change the level
of dirt around the trunk of a tree if you want it to keep on living.

Thanks for your input!

--
Bobby G.