What's this protruding from my Silver Maple?

I noticed this protrusion pushing through the bark on my Silver Maple. Upon inspection the bark fell away. It's about 2" x 1" x 6". Does anyone know what this is and if so, is it a sign of trouble? I have additional pics.

Here's another picture.

Here's what appears to be another protrusion breaking through.

Ever since we moved here 10yrs ago, this vine thing has been climbing up the tree. I have cut it down several times but it comes back every year. I've pretty much given up on it (as you can see) -I just prune it when the stems pull away from it or if it gets too bushy.

Picture taken from a distance. It's a big tree but not very pretty. My DH has suggested having it topped to encourage it to fill in but we've heard that these trees are weak and the clump may split apart in higher winds. Plus it's messy enough now...

OK, now ya dun it! If DH still believes in topping trees after all the information available on how bad it is to do that, send him back to kindergarten or divorce him. He should be ashamed to own a tree. Does he own a car? Does he put sugar in the gas tank to give it more energy? Jeeeez!!!

I think your alien bump is merely the beginning of a burl. And if you're concerned about the multiple leaders splitting apart in a storm someday (a valid concern in this case), have them dynamically cabled by a certified arborist who knows what those words mean. The word "topping" only goes with ice cream, not with trees.

Guy S.

Well! Good Evening Guy! I assume by your use of the word "merely" with regard to the burl, I have no cause for concern. My DH "merely" suggested the ice cream topping because our neighbors did so serveral years ago and the trees are now full and lush. A question with regard to the dynamic cabling. Would this be cabling the three leaders together to keep them from splitting apart? No comment regarding the vine growing up the tree? I guess you have no issue with that?

I agree with Guy, topping it will just make it look like a bushy pom-pom. It will also start rotting because of all those new wounds. I would not let the vine get into the canopy of the tree. It will create more of a drag in high winds making branches more likely to break.

This message was edited Aug 14, 2006 8:28 PM

If it is a burl, it's no biggie. Sort of like a huge skin blemish -- makes the tree the laughingstock of the prom, but nothing worse. Still, if you're gonna have an arborist look at the tree anyway, give him some face time with it just in case there's something going on there that I can't see in the pic.

Then go kill your neighbors for doing such a dumb thing in front of your gullible husband. And then take DH to a hypnotist and have him deprogrammed to make him forget about what they taught him. He badly needs brain cleansing -- mentioning topping among the enlightened folks on this forum is like telling an astronomer the stars are merely Zodiak signs.

Dynamic cabling is a special, non-invasive method of stabilizing trees that allows them to flex without breaking. One popular brand is the Cobra System, but there are others. A good certified arborist will know this, and a bad one shouldn't be hired.

And follow Chad's advice in keeping the vine under control. That doesn't necessarily mean killing it completely, but keep it from dominating your tree or reaching too high in the canopy -- periodically cut it back. But then again, if it's something like oriental bittersweet or that evil Euonymus stuff (can't tell for sure from the pic), go ahead and kill it before it sneaks up on you in the middle of the night and strangles you. (Hey, make Doofus Hubby sleep on that side of the bed so the vine gets him -- one less tree-topper in the world!)

Guy S.

Escambiaguy, Most of the Silver Maples in the neighborhood are around the same age and we've seen many lose big limbs and some even fall apart completely in big storms. I don't want to lose it (any part of it!) because it provides dappled shade over our deck all afternoon. We will leave the canopy be. Thanks! The vine does not attach itself to the tree, it just seems to climb along side it. Once parts of it become fairly tall, the wind tends to blow it off and it's laying on the ground so I don't think it can reach the canopy. I'll check with the Vines and Climbers forum to see what it is. I was more concerned about it building up in the center of the three leaders and possibly trapping in moisture and causing some rot in the center and possibly weakening it (not sure if that can really happen or if the tree is tougher than that?). So, in the mean time, I have been cutting away the branches of the vine to allow some air in there.

Guy, Thanks for the advice....on the dynamic cabling anyway. Glad I posted in the Trees and Shrubs forum and not the Marriage Advice formum or Neighbor Relations forum:) We will definately look into finding a good arborist in our area. Seeing so many of the Silver Maples in the neighborhood fall apart, I find myself staring at it out the window and watching it sway with a pit in my stomach during storms. It sounds like the cabling will keep our tree safe (or safer at least).

serenity_now:

This post will be full of criticisms, none meant to be targeted personally but stated as the general situation is presented (read: you are NOT alone; this happens so often it is disheartening).

The vine sure looks like flowering/fruiting aged Euonymus fortunei. What a waste of DNA. Please destroy it at your earliest opportunity so that seeds from it aren't deposited in any natural areas nearby. There are many more innocuous native vines that'll contribute so much more to your landscape and for wildlife value.

I'd vote to plant a new sturdier species of tree in a location that will provide you the years of shade and aesthetics that you want. As it grows in, delete the problem tree. Or, spend a lot of time trying to support the three-pronged devil you have.

I appreciate the commentary of wanting a "full lush tree", but it seems that many people don't scrutinize the species they've selected (or moved in with) for those attributes beforehand. When it turns out to just be a really fast growing tree with no density or whatever aesthetic is desired, then extraordinary effort is made to rein it in, dense it up, shear it off, so many manner of things that are (in the long run) pretty ineffective. In the case of topping, it often creates a new hazard (hidden to those who don't evaluate such things) that often inevitably ends in "...it just fell..." or "...storm blew it down..." or some other attribution of cause and effect that misses the mark.

We dun it to our ownselves.

It would be worth your while, if you are "leaning" towards keeping the silver maple, to review the conditions of other similar silver maples (multi-stemmed from the base; topped or not; similar age) around your community. Do this with the skilled arborist that you may chose to cable your tree. Get a summary of the successes and failures common to this species, and then make your long term decision.

To me it's like choosing a car, buying a home, and (dare I say it since maybe this is the worst comparison) selecting a spouse. You hopefully will do a lot of research before making that big an investment of time that you'll be spending together (that most of us hope will be forever).

I agree with VV, go ahead and plant something like a white oak or sugar maple (stronger wooded) in another part of the yard. Maybe by the time the silver maple has ended it's lifespan the new tree will have gotten some size to it. Just like every other life form on earth, always have babies coming in to someday replace the elders.

serenity_now: Men top trees because men love an excuse to use the chain saw. It has nothing to do with proper pruning, and everything about the excitement of using power tools.

Am I right?

But, if you think it's ugly, I'd say prune it at ground level and get something nicer.

If that burl ever gets any size (like large enough to cover the back of a violin), it could one day be very valuable - burls have very fancy wood figure, and are in high demand from musical instrument makers

Resin

I will add this: The only way I justify topping is if it is the only way to get enough sunlight to a newly planted tree. Just keep in mind that once you top it, it is a temporary tree.

VV,
Thanks for the info on the vine. I have cut it back several times to keep it out of the center where the leaders are joined but I have not taken any action to kill it. I have no problem with doing that (for the most part it's just ignored) and I don't need a replacement. I do like the idea of planting another tree near by as a replacement for when the "three-pronged devil" ultimately leaves us. In the mean time, we will look in to the cabling. I can't bear to cut it down. It would leave a huge void and leave us in the blazing sun.

Escambiaguy,
We have a Sugar Maple in our front yard and it is gorgeous. Definately an option to replace the Silver Maple.

Undercover_owl,
Any other time I'd be with you on the chain saw thing, lol. In this case, we couldn't reach the top of that tree if we stacked two ladders on top of one another! Definately an outsourced job. But rest assure, we are not topping the tree.

Resin,
Interesting info on the burl! Is there anyway to promote or "feed" this burl to increase its size? LOL!

Sorry, I doubt its growth rate can be increased (which is why large burls are rare, and therefore very valuable!)