I just bought this house in Massachusetts that has a very tall japanese maple that is growing over the house. I don't want to lose the tree but I'm wondering what my options are. As you can see there are two main trunks. Could I safely remove the smaller trunk without jeopardizing the life of the tree? If this is not advised, how much overall height/size of the tree can I have trimmed? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Brian
Professionals usually adise not to prune more than one-third of the canopy, but this varies from one species to ther other. As for removing the smaller of the trunks, it apparently was pruned before (one can see a bulge on the left in the first photo). Not being a professional, take my opinion for what it's worth but I would proceed in two times: first remove the smaller trunk, then the following year, prune the rest of the tree. Leaving the rest of the tree untouched the first year(s) would probably help the big cut to heal...
