I am a maintenance gardener with a new customer who is inexperienced in landscape decisions and who had purchased several mature trees prior to my starting to work with them. One Crimson King norway maple has a crack in the trunk that extends from the base up about 6 feet, slightly turns and goes up another couple of feet. It cuts through at least one small branch collar, and is dark/occasionally slightly damp. I am not an arborist, but have read Pirone/Shigo/Metheny & Harris, and am wondering if this is one of those cases where the crack is an indication of likely root damage to the tree. It was installed a couple years ago, installed too close to other mature trees on the property, and when I came along the flare was 4-6 inches below grade, plus no serious (dee)supplemental watering had been done by homeowner over the 9 months or so of drought we have had in northeast. Tree has several areas that are either installation damage or cankers. Homeowner wants to move the tree -- I want to be responsible about this and feel that the tree is quite possibly already compromised enough that the major sum for moving it would be better spent on a new specimen. Tree is probably about 6 inch caliper. Does it make sense to have someone dig into the roots and look at them? Are there other diagnostic things that can be done? Just to give you the whole picture, one of the other trees is a sugar maple with installation or nursery damage (bark damaged on trunk and branches or cankers on branches) with the only north facing branch growing out of center of the main crotch, and another is a 7 inch caliper Prunus with an entire side of the tree having had its branches removed -- tree form was bad to begin with. Had an arborist look at these trees and he was shocked at how they were planted and how much disease/insect damage existed on the whole site in general. These additional trees also planted or settled too deep and one sited too close to a building. Two more trees sited too close to the house -- ok, I'll stop, you get the picture.

Reply to post by chris reid, on October 18, 2002 at 21:21:25:

Having a crack that weeps and multiple cankers, I would say that the tree is not a good candidate for retention, espesialy if moving is needed.

What would the cost of moving be with the cost of replacing with a similar but healthy specimine?

University studies have shown that the smaller the tree is when transplanted the faster it will ragain its vitality and start normal top growth. Smaller caliper trees can overtake larger ones, thus making the large caliper instalation a false economy for long term usage.

Seems to me that this trees long term health is questionable, and their best interest would be to replace with new material.

Bassuck of Cornel had done some interesting studies with bare root planting

Zilmer at MidState Tech here in WI has looked at girdling roots, instalation death and mortality. Johnson and Haure in Minn did some statistaical work on it.

Zilmer devised a method of working with poor B&B stock by pulling the ball apart and straightening encircling roots.

Reply to post by chris reid, on October 18, 2002 at 21:21:25:

Having a crack that weeps and multiple cankers, I would say that the tree is not a good candidate for retention, espesialy if moving is needed.

What would the cost of moving be with the cost of replacing with a similar but healthy specimine?

University studies have shown that the smaller the tree is when transplanted the faster it will ragain its vitality and start normal top growth. Smaller caliper trees can overtake larger ones, thus making the large caliper instalation a false economy for long term usage.

Seems to me that this trees long term health is questionable, and their best interest would be to replace with new material.

Bassuck of Cornel had done some interesting studies with bare root planting

Zilmer at MidState Tech here in WI has looked at girdling roots, instalation death and mortality. Johnson and Haure in Minn did some statistaical work on it.

Zilmer devised a method of working with poor B&B stock by pulling the ball apart and straightening encircling roots. I have a a description of his method in a working draft of a paper called On Stem Girdling Roots on my site linked below.

Reply to post by John Paul Sanborn, on October 18, 2002 at 21:21:25:

I don't have an estimate on moving these particular trees, but I know it can be quite expensive based on prices other gardeners I know have been given. The tree already has cankers of some kind, and based on the material you sent me, we are early on in the span of years in which the stress and symptoms from root problems are likely to show up. I may pursue having a consulting arborist have a look at the roots so that we have further facts on which to base the next move.

At any rate, my own particular take on the matter is that replacement with a similar caliper tree is not such a great idea anyhow. From your writing, looks like you see merit in selecting a younger specimen, as well. I know the client wants instant results, but given the climate changes we appear to be undergoing, and the unpredictability of the weather for 3 years running while tree gets established (figuring 3 - 5 years to establish a large caliper tree), my own particular take would be to plant smaller trees that grow in response to conditions on the site (wind, moisture, competition), don't take as long to establish on the site and are therefore less vulnerable to drastic weather conditions while establishing, and in 5 years have a better tree as a result. Your summary of findings was extremely useful, and the U of Minn article was detailed and helpful. I greatly appreciate your taking the time to share what you have learned. It would have taken me hours or days --with unpredictable success -- to track down what you have offered via this forum.

Reply to post by chris reid, on October 19, 2002 at 10:57:13:

No problem. Just giving back what I have taken.

I sumbled across this site shortly after Russ started it up. It has been invaluable in my professional growth.