"...without even a twig coming off it..."

Are you sure what came off didn't blow 4 miles down the road?

tj

Around here, they are usually sturdy enough to get to maturity (80-120 yrs) without losing major limbs. Every ice storm of consequence is probably going to result in numerous 2-5" diameter branches on the ground (they cause quite a bit of damage when weighed down with ice). I've observed that younger healthy trees are fairly wind resistant in very strong winds (~<70 mph gusts) but not in extreme winds.

Once they hit maturity, the rot starts to catch up with the tree and it can lose major limbs (or the whole thing) quite suddenly in comparatively light wind conditions (<50mph).

There is always litter though...caused by squirrels nipping off branches, dead twigs that are regularly shed, or the flowers (followed by samaras).

Where I live is subject to 60-70 MPH winds quite often, and the majority of trees, even those considered weak-wooded usually come through relatively unscathed if they are healthy and in good shape.

I saw the pictures on the news, and one thing struck me, and that was that the majority of what was shown either was riddled with decay, or the integrity of the root system was severely compromised. And I saw lots of silver and Norway maples in the carnage.

As far as silver maples, pretty much what smivies said.

Willows, Poplars and Boxelder fall apart much more than Silver Maples. I rarely see Silver Maples dismantled around here to tell you the truth. The seedlings and roots can be a nuisance though.

If I don't keep up, my yard will be full of silver maple branches. Dead and alive. They are "litter" trees because they drop branches everywhere. It's a constant battle.

That is one beautiful tree! Thank you for posting a picture of it.

Biggest trouble, on a city lot, it's the only tree you'll have room for. :-(

It's snowing so I'm not going to walk out to post a picture of 2 rotted silver maple trunks. They just aren't long lasting trees. At least plant red or sugar maples, if you must have a large native maple!

Tree in Beng's picture has 3 main trunks all coming together at the same point - this is probably not good. And the stem that is leaning out the most is the one that is pointed toward the storage building.

this is probably not good

yep one of my silver maples looked like that and as water and debris collected in the crotch, it eventually rotted and collapsed. Apparently the sound was so loud it woke my neighbors up but I slept through it.

"Tree in Beng's picture has 3 main trunks all coming together at the same point - this is probably not good. And the stem that is leaning out the most is the one that is pointed toward the storage building."

Agreed. The wind has been really bad here today, and the topped silver maple has been making very loud creaking noises. So loud that I can hear it up in the back yard. Waiting for it to split and fall on the house.......

We have a 'Skinner's Cutleaf' silver maple and love the foliage and semi weeping habit, the tree also receives a lot of positive comments from visitors.

I have seen some Silver Maples that are quite majestic, but I've also seen too many that resemble this tree, which is just down the road from where I live. Every time we get a big wind, like we had earlier this week, I expect to find it down. There's not a whole lot of wood left, but it is surprisingly durable. The White Pine (or Red Cedar) is ready to claim this spot whenever it does finally succumb to the rot.

i noted to many peeps the last few days.. imagine the carnage.. if the deciduous trees where leafed out ...yikes... thk god they werent ..

all deciduous trees that came down.. were core rotted ... the fir and spruce trees ... came down from root tipping... for lack of a better word ... surprisingly.. i didnt see many pines damaged ...

ken

After seeing these huge mature trees coming down on homes and roads, I'm stunned anyone would want a gigantic tree right next to their house.

Yes, reason being why we had thought best to remove a rather big and beautiful birch tree from the corner of the house, just a bit tooo close for comfort.

When I look at these trees, what I see are OLD trees - it's not surprising that some or all of such trees will come down in storms. What irritates me is local by-laws that are too focused on retaining mature tree canopy without recognizing and promoting the need to plan for a succession of trees by having young and middle-aged ones ready to take over when the old ones need to come down. A sensible strategy might be to loosen up a bit on the restrictions on removing mature trees by requiring a new tree (perhaps chosen from a list of 'acceptable' or desired tree species) to be planted (in either the same location or in designated areas where more trees are desired) for each mature one removed. I think quite a few towns and cities around here are going to find a lot of mature trees dying within a short period, and there is a lack of middle-aged trees to maintain the desired canopy coverage.

We have no such laws here where I live, but it's a small town. The law needs to be against tree butchering, not removal. I'm not sure if it is a big problem where you live, but homeowners tend to destroy their trees by topping and power companies like to cut them in half, when removal would be much simpler and aesthetically pleasing.

WOZ, the situation you describe must be in more urban settings. I'm not that familiar with municipal tree laws, but where I live, a tree on your property is yours to do with what you wish. It gives property owners great leeway to remove trees, sometimes too much leeway in my opinion. I'm ambivalent: It allows for more quick removal of hazardous trees, but I've seen beautiful old oaks removed to build another house on a five-acre lot. I happen to live on a five-acre lot, so I'll shut-up on that note.

Logan - I don't see a lot of topping of trees around here, but I agree re power companies butchering when removal would make more sense - but removal would be controversial with both the homeowners and the town's tree preservation by-laws....

maackia - we're suburban, not really urban but it's a built-up area so somewhat urban-like.... Yeah, that tug-of-war between wanting to discourage/prevent clear-cutting of trees on properties undergoing development, while still keeping flexibility to sensibility manage the trees is always present. It's not an easy issue to get the balance right, that's for sure! I think our rules are a bit too restrictive but I understand how we got to where we are and how difficult, politically, it is to loosen them up a bit! I think it's going to take a lot of mature trees dying off in a short period before people really see and understand the succession issue and adjust the by-laws to better incorporate the concept.

I'm somewhat forgiving of tree butchery because I live in an urban area where there wold be no trees at all if people followed the absurdly restrictive guidelines you often read on this forum about how close to houses and roads trees are allowed to be. And those neighborhoods with butchered trees squeezed in as a whole are much cooler in the summer and more pleasant then the sterile urban wastelands or golf-course/McMansion neighborhoods.

Not sure how you can loosen the tree laws protecting old trees without everyone chopping down their ancient oaks and replacing them with a teensy shrub or Bradford Pear, or "tree churning"...regularly planting inappropriate trees, changing their mind, then chopping them down and replacing them. Lots of species only look impressive when they are really old.

I do wish people would plant "understudy" trees. Lots of people frantically try to keep an old tree alive. That's fine, but you have to know there is a good chance you will lose the battle. Plant several shade tolerant, long lived trees in the shadow of your dying giant to step in when the old guy goes.

Carpinus caroliniana and Ostrya virginiana are two fine example of tough drought tolerant understory trees that can thrive in full sun as well when the big boys come down.

I agree with Woody on the importance of a succession plan. I'm starting now for the very old Tilia americana that surround my property. One that must have been dead for 10+ years came crashing down last week with those nasty winds.

I'm in a rural subdivision and they have rules of not removing trees above a certain caliper unless you get permission.

"I'm somewhat forgiving of tree butchery because I live in an urban area where there wold be no trees at all if people followed the absurdly restrictive guidelines you often read on this forum about how close to houses and roads trees are allowed to be. And those neighborhoods with butchered trees squeezed in as a whole are much cooler in the summer and more pleasant then the sterile urban wastelands or golf-course/McMansion neighborhood."

This is why they should plant a small tree or large shrub, so that butchering is not required. The first rule of gardening is "right plant, right place". You wouldn't plant a sugar maple beside your front porch as a shrub, and you wouldn't plant a dwarf azalea as a shade tree. I may have taken that to an extreme, but you get the point.