Many thanks, Kay -- that's exactly the sort of advice I was seeking.

-- Ray

"Kay Lancaster" wrote in message ...

On Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:27:09 -0400, Ray
wrote:
We had a very beautiful, healthy coral bark maple tree which was about
eight
years old, and 10 feet high.

It was destroyed when a nearby tree fell onto it, leaving only a tall
stem,
with one sprig of leaves about a foot long sticking out of the side.

Question: What if anything can I do to restore this tree?

You can see a photo at:

https://sites.google.com/site/10test20/

Prune the splintered up top back to good wood. Make the top cut slant
so water won't sit on the wood. Clean up any branch stubs that are
splintered also. Then wait, and it's very likely to grow back.
You'll need to do some careful shaping pruning most likely, but that will be
next growing season.

If you're in a drought area, make sure you water when needed (when the
remaining leaves start to look limp) and make sure the tree does not go
into winter in a dry condition. On the other hand, don't water so much
it's trying to grow in its own personal swamp.

Losing more than 1/3 of the mass of the tree is usually pretty tough on
a tree, but many do survive it.

There are several good pruning manuals around, but you could also ask for
help next fall from a local master gardener (free for the most part)
or a consulting arborist (pay for it).
Some city foresters also provide advice, as do certified nurserymen.

(Consulting arborists are professionals who specialize
in evaluating trees for many purposes, but they don't provide the sort of
tree service that the guys with the chain saws and chippers do. See:
http://www.asca-consultants.org/ ASCA also has an "ask the expert" service
that's free.) (Certified Nurserymen are trade organizations, mostly within a
state, and usually require new members to pass a knowledge exam. And
many members are women, despite the name. g)

Kay