Tree Planting: Autumn Blaze Maple

Leaves changing in Autumn can be as beautiful as a watercolor painting and can invoke a closing of the year. Maples in particular can offer the best red and orange color and the Autumn Blaze Maple is by far one of the best red color that is out there. It is a cross between a Silver Maple and a Red Maple, which gives it a fast growth rate plus the bright red leaf color. Autumn Blaze Maple’s were first created in 1933 and have since been planted in residential and commercial landscapes. Although these trees are extremely hardy to WI climates, have that great autumn color, they do tend to require early pruning due to codominant branching structures. Codominant branching is when multiple similarly sized branches come off the same stem in the same location. These have weak connection points and can increase the risk of branch failure. When the tree is young it is the best time to select the leading branch and prune the codominance out to have a strong and healthy tree.