On 01/29/2017 09:19 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Drilled a 3/8" hole about 3" deep into the side of a maple tree - in
order to mount a screw eye.

Turned out to be the wrong location and now the tree has that hole in
it.

What would you do to minimize the insult?

I'm thinking just sterilize a 3/8" bolt and put that into the hole.

When you tap a sugar maple the recommended procedure is to pull the
spile and let the tree heal itself. Putting a dowel or stick into the
hole interferes with the healing and the foreign matter rots.

An arborist may come along with a better answer but I'd let the tree
take care of itself. People used to paint the tree with pruning paint
after removing branches but that's not recommended anymore. I don't use
it and the tree seems to be doing okay.