Spent 4 hours trying to save a maple with a girdling root...

I got called out to a mature silver maple last week in a neighborhood near downtown. Owner said the leaves were tiny and the top was dying back. I figured it was just drought stress or something simple. Dug around the base and found a root that had wrapped almost completely around the trunk maybe 10 years ago. Took me 4 hours with a pruning saw and an air spade to carefully cut it away without damaging the main trunk. The root was about 6 inches thick in some spots. Halfway through I wanted to just give up and tell them the tree was a goner. Has anyone else run into a girdling root that looked way worse than it actually turned out?

2 comments

2 Comments

skylerw8718d ago

I'be got a silver maple right now in a similar spot... downtown property, roots wrapped around like a python. Took me about 3 hours with a hand saw and a lot of patience. The trick is to not saw it all at once. Make a cut on one side, then wait a few minutes. Let the tension release slowly or you'll peel bark off the trunk. I had one where the root was 8 inches thick and I honestly thought I'd kill it. But that tree bounced back within two seasons, new growth everywhere. Just make sure you get the whole loop off, no leftover pieces pressing in.

baker.simon18d ago

Yeah that tension release thing is real. I learned the hard way on my first one. Bark peeled right off the trunk like a banana. Looked like a disaster. Patience is the only way to pull those off without making things worse.