Question
QUESTION: We have a mature Norway maple (~80 years)in our back yard in Eastern Pa.. It's a wonderful tree providing us with plenty of shade in the summer and vibrant fall color.  Over the past 12 to 18 months a large portion of the bark has come off one side from its base up to a height of 15 feet.  Also the root structure above the ground in the same area is rotting. Large mushrooms have sprouted out from under the blistering bark several times this past summer and fall.  The trees are flowering right now (there are many in the neighborhood) and it appears that about 1/3 of the branches on this tree have no buds at all.  We've had ample rain this past year and it's not exposed to any road salts and there's no crowding. Should we paint the area where the bark has come off? Should we fertilize it?  What can we do, we don't want to lose the tree?
ANSWER: Trees as people do get old and the age allows them to start showing signs of the old age. The tree is quite old for a tree in a yard and it sounds like the tree is hollow. The hollow does not effect the overall health of the tree except as it relates to the possibility of wind breakage. The hollow is the wood apart of the tree being decayed by a fungus. The wood part is not the living system of the tree.
Mushrooms growing from the trunk are the fruiting bodies of the fungus--this means the tree is more then likely hollow.
Treatment for declining urban maples includes watering, fertilizing, pruning dead branches, and reducing salt-laden spring water runoff over the roots. Thoroughly water trees every week or two during extended dry weather. Trees should be watered with a slow stream from a hose. Move the hose periodically to soak the entire soil area under the tree's branches to a depth of six or more inches. Fertilize trees with a complete fertilizer (13-13-13) in the spring and/or late fall. The general recommendation is 2 to 4 lbs fertilizer per inch of tree diameter (0.35 to 0.7 kg per cm of tree diameter at 1.5 m above ground). Broadcast the fertilizer over the surface of the ground. Some risk of burn on nearby turf may occur at the higher rates. Prune dead branches as well to possibly stimulate renewed, vigorous shoot growth. Pruning is best done in the early spring, prior to budbreak, to promote healing of the pruning cuts.


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QUESTION: An area of the tree bark approximately 3 feet wide by 12 feet high is gone, it kind of peeled of in chunks.  Is there anything we can do to protect this area from bugs?
Is there any type of paint which could be applied to 'seal off' the tree?

Answer
No paint material will actually slow down any wound healing. The tree will try to grow the cells over the wound and painting can slow this process. Cut any loose bark off this will keep insects from entering under the bark. You can spray the area with an insecticide for borers to prevent them from boring into the wood. The prevention spray should last for about three months. Check with your local nursery/garden type store for an insecticide for borers.