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Acer buergeianum, Trident Maple
Trident Maple should be planted in full sun or partial shade on well-drained, acid to neutral soil. Consider protecting the trunk with a white trunk wrap the first couple winters to help prevent bark damage from direct sun exposure in northern climates. Given open soil for root expansion, it tolerates salt, air pollution, wind and drought. This is one tough tree well suited for urban landscapes. Foliage remains green even in extended drought. Bark exfoliates nicely. Some chlorosis can develop in soils with alkaline soil pH but it is moderately tolerant of soil salt. Bark exfoliates into showy plates as trees grow older.
It performs well in urban areas where soils are often poor and compacted. Trees are easily transplanted due to their fibrous, branching root system and they do not drop messy leaves, fruit or flowers. Although listed as a small tree, I have seen trees more than 50 feet tall. Should make a great street tree. 'ABTIR' (trademarked as Streetwise) has a more upright habit and can be trained to a central leader more easily than the species. 'Redman' has great fall color and is easy to train to a central leader.
Prune to maintain a dominant leader (one main trunk) by cutting back or removing competing leaders. Do this every 3 years for the first 15-20 years after planting. Do not allow branches with included bark to grow too large because they could split from the tree. This is best accomplished by removing some secondary branches (especially those toward the edge of the canopy) along those branches with included bark in the crotch. Regularly reduce the length of low aggressive branches by making reduction cuts if these branches will be in the way later and have to be removed. This will prevent having to make large pruning wounds later because the pruned branches will grow slower. Large pruning wounds can initiate decay in the trunk and branches, and decay can advance rapidly.
The wood is considered diffuse porous which means that there is little difference in size between the spring wood pores and the summer wood pores. Pollen can cause significant allergy problems for some people.
