Question
For at least the last 5-7 years we have had our house and tree sprayed (not every year therein) for carpenter ants. The electric company came to my door to tell me when they were trimming our maple tree, they noticed the branches were hollow. They suggested getting a strong product (liquid?) at Home Depot to spread around the base of the tree trunk. We forgot the name of the product. Meanwhile I called a tree service (not an arborist) and they maintain that if the branches are hollow, the trunk probably is esp. given the ants and dust at the bottom (they did not see the tree and only cut trees down). There is a visible line in the tree bottom up to about a foot and a half where it is indented and perhaps eaten away? I am concerned as the tree is large and near the house. Also our neighbors are close...A tree the street adjacent fell on a house..I'm not sure how...it has been left there for years? Anyway, I'd appreciate your expertise opinion on this concern and thank you in advance for any advise sent my way. I really appreciate it. We hate to think of losing the tree but don't want it to be a liability either.

Answer
If the branches are hollow chances are the main trunk is also and this would weaken the tree as far as wind breakage is concerned. If the tree is large enough that it had to be pruned to keep it out of the powerlines then it could be a problem if it fell. Before you cut it check the foliage and if the leaves are full and the foliage is thick and green then the tree is still healthy. Another suggestion is to look up the local State Forestry agency in the phone book and call one of their Foresters and have them take a look. This is a free servece (assuming you are located in the USA). The forester can tell you what the risk may be in keeping the tree.