"Father Haskell" wrote in message
...
Girlfriend's mom has a beautiful 50 year old red maple which was
mutilated by an ignorant "tree surgeon." A lower branch was
reduced to stubs after said tree butcher decided the branch got
in people's way; apparently, stooping or simply walking around
the offending branch was too difficult. The tree is disfigured,
removed of the graceful, Japanese form provided by the lower
growth. No meristem or buds were left to regenerate into new
branches. All wounds are distant from branch collars, and will
likely rot unless corrected.

Can the tree be restored by taking a few branches from high
up, where they won't be missed, and grafting them into the
stubs?

At that size and age, no.