PP Contest (No, not pe......) Progressive Maple

[jomawa]

Phase 1 ; Find one big enough, this is a vine maple. Standard with vine maples, tree is leaning 15 - 20 degrees perpendicular to slope, (see last photo, transverse slope view). First four photos, top is uphill, bottom is downhill. Removed moss and fallen debree from above root area. Some of root area seemed punky and was kicked free. Removed enough dirt under trunk to get blanket background photos (can see two places where blanket was poked through root area. Dang it, I still can't get away from 1/8th inch twigs, sure wish these were bigger. Anyway, moving along.
Totally open to suggestion(s).

 

[jomawa]

Phase 2 ; Pondering airlayer cut at white area, then cover with pumice-soil/thin wrap with moss and cover with pumice-soil. Alternative would be simply get it all covered with moss/pumice/soil to about the knife and hope for the best roots forming, but that result seems more iffy.


Phase 3 ; Leave the whole 30 - 40 feet of this "vine" to help force roots at air layer (but maybe cut it back to where there are still many branches), then eventually top cut, (same general area from two perspectives). Approximately, cut at right hand edge of left photo (didn't realize I hadn't marked it), or marked area in right photo.
Totally open to suggestion(s).

 

[jomawa]

Ok, I'm bumping this because I don't recall anything in the site rules to restrict it, but I'm bringing it forward to once again attempt to get some bnutter input on this tree.

 

[Cypress187]

It's very long and straight.

 

[jomawa]

It's very long and straight.

That's my major concern along with the fact there's no branch anywhere near trunk size, if I were to/could chop back "to that point". This is what I get for trying to get a minimum 3" vine maple from under the evergreen canopy. V maples in the neighboring clear cut are spitting branches up and down the trunks with many having visible damage from being logged, but none seem to be more that about 2 3/4" diameter trunk, (won't meet the PP criteria).

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Cypress187]

Perhaps u could do a trunk chop now, and check next year if it has improved. But if it's a vine it will take more then 1 year i think.