Any help would again be greatly appreciated. This tree in NY. ps. The hedges you all helped me i.d. and coach on pruning are thriving :)
Thanks again. It's not too close to the house - but it is going through the fence. A few boards snapped recently (pictured laying on the ground). I will trim the boards rather than the tree until the fence gets replaced. My next concern is with termites? (not sure because I thought they only eat dead wood). As pictured in a crevice at the base of the trunk I noticed a buildup of sawdust. Does anyone have an idea of what's going on and is it cause for alarm?
Some concern, as there is decay in there, and the branch is also growing at quite an angle. It isn't easy to evaluate safety risks from photos; I'd advise getting an on-site inspection by an ISA-registered arborist.
Since it already has a low-forking (shrub) habit your best bet would probably be to saw it down to low stumps right after bloom and start it over. Cut early in the year like this it will probably even set some flower buds on the first set of new replacement shoots, to bloom again next year; vigorous well-established willows like this can often be cut back hard annually.
