On Sat, 18 Oct 2003 20:40:32 GMT, "Stuart E. Weiner"
wrote:

I have a young red oak in my front lawn (facing
south), which I've been told could grow eventually to over 60 ft by 50
ft. (Of course, growing at about 1 1/2 ft per year, that means abut 40
years from now.) The problem is, I have a ranch home on a relatively
small lot, and at that size, the tree will totally dominate the yard as
well as place everything in shade.

Plant/cultivate trees and whatnot (a wisteria is a 'whatnot' :-) with
an eye to what the full-grown critter may become. Hate to keep
mentioning Isabel, but one wonders what an 80' pine tree is doing in a
suburban back yard where lots are 50'x100' (I didn't plant it, but I
didn't cut it down when I moved here, either.) Rather than trying to
prune, trim, "top" (ugh) various plant life (which makes many trees
unhappy and less stable), plant with a view to what you eventually
want. Some idiot "landscapers" put a row of photinas next to my house
as "bushes." Their normal growth results, in this area, in robust
20-30' trees, and they must constantly be pruned.

Bite the bullet. Remove the oak (unless you plan to move within the
next 5 yrs and pass the problem along to the next homeowner), and
replace with something more suitable.