Silver Maple? Many trunks!

Got a tree the kids planted and would like to save it, but it has four trunks. While I know Maple have these, this one is growing wide instead of tall. I need a suggestion.

Attached at the pictures.

Thanks in advance!!

This winter while it is dormant, cut off the stems you don't want to keep.  Cut them close to the ground and leave the stumps at an angle outward. This is a coppicing technique, but in your case instead of using it to take one trunk and have it produce many sprouts, you're going the opposite direction. Next spring you will get new sprouts coming up around the cut stumps. Cut them back. You'll need to stay on top of the cutting back. Maple really likes to root sprout and it will try and try again.

Yep, agreed. The tree must have fair amount of light at ground level, and it's spreading out to take advantage. Thinning down to one trunk will be possible but require some upkeep. In general,  pruning during dormancy encourages more active growth, and pruning in summer after the main flush of growth is done discourages it. People frequently do big shaping cuts in winter,  then hit the june prune to reign things back in again.

My father helped me plant this tree. For some reason its lower then the ground and he put bricks around it. I't sure this didn't help the situation.

Peter, When you say outward angle, do you mean where the cut "faces" the ground. My Apology if I mis-understood. I'm learning as I go

Thanks for the advice. I  would surely have cut them off now instead of in winter. I had no idea! Thanks!!

Jon Schneiter wrote:My father helped me plant this tree. For some reason its lower then the ground and he put bricks around it. I't sure this didn't help the situation.

Peter, When you say outward angle, do you mean where the cut "faces" the ground. My Apology if I mis-understood. I'm learning as I go

Thanks for the advice. I  would surely have cut them off now instead of in winter. I had no idea! Thanks!!

When you cut the trunk, you could make it level, but you need to angle it, so the top of the cut stump angles away from the stem you keep. You want the rain to run off the stump and out and away from the remaining stem.