Is my box elder safe in a storm?
This is the species that ends up on the roof. Brittle weak wood, low multi-stem forks packed with included bark, and near-universal internal decay mean whole leaders tear out under ice or a summer downburst, and they usually fail at the fork rather than mid-limb, so the failed piece is enormous. A box elder leaning over a house or detached garage is the most common genuinely urgent removal in central Indiana backyards.
What pruning can and can't prevent
Wounds are an invitation on this species — box elder compartmentalizes poorly and large cuts routinely turn into decay columns, so pruning one hard is usually money spent on a tree that is going to fail anyway. If it stays, keep to small dormant-season deadwood cuts and expect a flush of water sprouts, because injured box elder sprouts vigorously from stumps and roots.
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