Any arborists on here? I have a death tree that needs some attention

Big time tree hugger here but I'm beginning to see the allure of astroturf. When we first moved here this tree had a massive branch hanging in the upper branches waiting to obliterate my roof or a car. I was able to mitigate that situation with a a myriad of ropes, blown out backs, saws and bicycle helmets. I think someone had topped the tree and just left it hanging in the branches waiting to kill me.

Then I get home from work today and this branch is hogging the driveway. I guess a small storm cell rolled through and this didn't survive but I suspect there was something else going on because there is no way we had enough wind to cause this damage. What I'm worried about is other branches falling on my or my neighbors roof, cars, children or whatever.

I believe this tree is a Sycamore and I think it's awesome. It loses leaves in the winter and they come back in the summer which means my grass is the perfect height year round and my electricity bills are low.Any thoughts on whether pruning the tree is DIY able or should this be left to the pros? I'm not opposed to climbing around trees, I'm more worried about figuring out where to cut and how much to cut.

Pruning a big tree is doable by yourself. The problem is as you note, lack of knowledge about what and where to cut. Without that I'd reccomend calling a pro for an estimate. Either it works for your budget or not to get the job done, but talking with a pro in person will be invaluable as to what it needs.

Good luck!

IMHO, leave it to the pros. That tree is 50 feet tap and it's easy to kill it if you screw it up. If it's been topped before, it needs to be trimmed carefully to keep it healthy.

We have an excellent tree guy--a real arborist. We also have a very thick tree canopy. I have him visit about once a year, and we'll discuss our trees as well as our neighbors'. All I can add is that there's more to cutting trees than lopping off limbs. He'll always explain what he's going to do and compare it what our neighbors have done. He gets into airflow through the trees and stuff like that. In the end, yeah, our trees look pretty awesome. Plus they weather storms nicely.

MAN !

I gotta start Reading the posting headline, and not just skimming it. I clicked in here thinking Abortionist in my head ..... Then I saw the picture of the tree, and reread the thread title. Sometimes I'm really thick.

For a tree that large and that close to your house (and the neighbor's house) I'd hire a qualified arborist.