Noticed maples around town look totally different than 20 years ago

I was trimming a row of silver maples on Elm Street yesterday and got to thinking. Back when I started in this trade around 2003, those trees had way more hollow spots and branch failures. Now I see way more folks planting Freeman maples or even red maples instead. The nurseries pushed those silver maples hard in the 80s and 90s and we are still dealing with the mess. Has anyone else seen a shift in what people are planting in your area over the last couple decades?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_anthony13d agoMost Upvoted

Man I feel for your buddy, that's a rough spot to be in. Those silver maples are like a ticking time bomb planted right in your yard, I've seen it way too often. We had a row of them along the old alley behind my place when I first moved in, and after one bad storm took out a branch that landed on my neighbor's shed, I knew they had to go. It's crazy how nurseries pushed them so hard back then, like they were the perfect tree, but now everyone's paying the price. Switching to oaks is the smart play though, they might take their sweet time growing but they're solid as a rock once they get going. Your buddy made the right call, no doubt about it.

julia54913d ago

Got a buddy who bought a house in 2005 and the whole backyard was silver maples. Every big storm took down a branch or three. By 2015 he had cut down the last one and put in a couple oaks.

emery_white13d ago

Man I feel for your buddy, those silver maples are just trouble. They grow fast but they're brittle as all get out, like nature's version of cheap particleboard. Every little breeze and you're out there picking up branches or worse, worrying about one landing on the house or the car. It's a headache that just keeps giving. He made the right call switching to oaks though, those things are built to last and don't drop half the tree every time it rains. Good on him for cutting his losses and putting in something solid instead of fighting a losing battle year after year.