severe pruning affect Fall color of Sugar Maple?

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shortleaf2005 Nov 28, 2005

Hi all, there is a Sugar Maple down the street right in front of a grade school down there.
It has been pruned considerably due to going in to power lines and blocking a school sign (I can only guess).

I realize that some trees have much better Fall colors in some years than other years, but one can't help but wonder if the tree is very unhappy with this recent pruning and is rebel'ling. I have lived here (the second time) for 16 years and I have seen this on-again off-again thing with this tree, but this year the Fall color is about the worse I've ever seen on it.
I believe the poor place-ment of this tree isn't going to bode well for its future mature size, which is also a pity.
Maybe its just me, because I know of its dis-figurement now. Well, just take a look at the photos.

I'll post 2 photos of the tree. They are 2 years and 364 days apart, 1 day shy of exactly 3 years apart (the dates are on the photos). The 3 year old photo is Nov. 1st 2002 and the recent one is Nov. 2nd 2005. Notice the removal of a large limb down low on the left side?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/w4i0a/trees/native/Dsc00666.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v243/w4i0a/trees/native/DSC05456.jpg

Will

p.s. I was having a bit of a learning experience on getting these pics in the post. Sorry if it looks a little wrong.
If there is a photo in the post its the one from 3 years ago, the present-day photo is in the link, as is the 3 year old one in a link and also in the post. At any rate, there is only 2 photos.
I was just a bit stymied when I tried to get 2 pics in the post, they only allow one that I can see, and no html can be used.

Thumbnail by shortleaf2005
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StarhillForest Illinois, IL(Zone 5b) Nov 28, 2005

Shortleaf, I didn't try to open the photos (no time this morning) but severe pruning can affect the seasonal responses of trees, including fall color. The pruning can stimulate juvenile sprout growth, upset normal phenology, etc., and restrict photosynthetic production.

Anyway, it does sound like the right tree in the wrong place.

Guy S.

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shortleaf2005 Nov 28, 2005

Eee! I think I added wrong, it is 3 years and 1 day, not 2 years and 364 days.
It was such a pretty tree too. That restricting photosynthesis sounds right.
If only they had planted it closer to the school and not so close to the road, I guess hind-sight is 20/20! I think there was enuff room there for it, its just too far one way. The other way it would just over-hang the parking lot a little at maturity but no big thing.

What they ought to do is plant another Sugar Maple seedling (in a better spot) and remove that one, it is such a pity but I wouldn't expect the situation to get any better for the tree that is there.

I might see about finding an email addy of someone at the school and show them my photos and see if they'll make any decision on that tree.

In this post I'll add that photo of the present-day tree and its prune job.

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Post #1897828
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