Question
A huge limb snapped from the maple tree in the front yard .What should I do to repair the open wound on the trunk of tree

Answer
Cut the broken limb back to about 1/4 of an inch of the trunk and clean any splintered wood and bark from around the wound. This will allow the tree to heal over the wound. I would not apply any wound dressing to the wound these tend to slow down the healing process. I would also fertilize the tree with 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 lb per inch of trunk diameter scattered around the tree and watered in good--fertilize just before a rain storm and you will not need to water it in. This will increase the overall health of the tree and aid in healing the wound.