Question
Tom

I have a young volunteer maple in my front yard, this summer will be its third year. It seems to be doing well, but it is just growing straight up.  It did develop one "branch" last summer, but it is down low...which i would probably prune off.

It's about 8 ft tall at this point, I'm concerned that eventually it will start to bend over from the weight of the leaves. How can i encourage it to branch out?

Answer
Hi Scott,
Thanx for your question.  You don't need to do anything to your volunteer tree.  It will even itself out on its own.  When it is ready, it will begin branching out.  The way you describe your sapling's growth habit is normal sometimes.  I do not believe your tree needs staking because it has grown naturally and more than likely has a nice, well-spread rootball.  Please take a look at this link and perhaps it will help you determine if you really think you need to stake the tree.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/to-stake-or-not-to-stake.aspx
   I hope this helps.
Tom