What Are the Dangers of the Sycamore Tree Branches?

Sycamore Size

• The size of the sycamore is one of its attractive features that make it suitable for a shade tree or a street tree, but in a landscape, it can also be a negative asset. Sycamores have reputations as being the most massive of trees in the eastern portion of the United States, where they grow native. Sycamores grow to great sizes, with specimens over 100 feet common; they have large diameters as well. Some trunks are as wide as 10 feet, with individual trees much wider being possible. This translates into branches that have widths at their bases larger than the trunks of many trees, which creates a scenario for disaster should they fall -- especially from great heights.

Sycamore Diseases

• Anthracnose is a fungal disease that thrives during a rainy spring, when the leaves of species such as the sycamore begin to bud out. Anthracnose can kill the foliage, with severe infections precipitating a dropping of the foliage, which in turn can bring about a weakened or rotted branch. Often, anthracnose is the culprit behind the hollowing out of sycamore trunks, a dangerous situation that eventually brings down branches. Other diseases that can weaken the wood of the sycamore include cankers and leaf spot.

Pruning and Spraying

• Landscapers that have given little thought to the size a sycamore reaches putting people and structures at risk from falling limbs as the tree rapidly grows. Pruning the tree, including taking off the top and many of the branches, usually yields a specimen with weakened branches, notes Marianne C. Ophardt of the Washington State University Cooperative Extension. The weak branches become susceptible to falling during windy or winter weather, and the heavy pruning often shortens the life of the tree. Spraying a sycamore to prevent anthracnose becomes problematic due to the size the tree may attain.

Uses and Growing Conditions

• The optimum landscape location for a sycamore is in a wet area away from any buildings, streets and footpaths. Use a sycamore as a specimen tree on a remote portion of your acreage to take advantage of its size, colorful bark and large leaves. The tree in the wild grows along rivers and streams, doing best in damp areas that get full sun. Although the sycamore is tolerant of urban conditions, planting it in a small yard in a city is a not prudent.