J maple forest advice

[LindaPat]

Planted about 2 years ago. All are from seedlings in my neighborhood, but all quite different. I’m going to trim the top into a triangle with the peak over the tallest. But should I trim the branches off between trees? Are the crooked little ones too unlikely? Just repotted this spring, nice roots intermingled

 

[Shibui]

Branches grow toward the light so in dense forest there are relatively few branches except near the canopy where there's light. Outside trees will have more low branches because they have access to light around the edges.
So the answer to your question, at least for me, is to remove most branches between the trunks, especially near the centre of the forest.
Thickest tree will also normally be the tallest whether that is in the centre or a little off centre.

 

[LindaPat]

Branches grow toward the light so in dense forest there are relatively few branches except near the canopy where there's light. Outside trees will have more low branches because they have access to light around the edges.
So the answer to your question, at least for me, is to remove most branches between the trunks, especially near the centre of the forest.
Thickest tree will also normally be the tallest whether that is in the centre or a little off centre.

Thank you. I like the logic!

 

[penumbra]

Study the woods surrounding you. ( and elsewhere) There is a great deal of variation in forest settings depending on topography. There are deep woods that can be level or stilted. There are some where rocks are subsurface and unseen, or virtually non existent. There are others where rocks can be a dominating feature. A favorite for many if not most people, is a clump of trees as in a hilltop planting. These can be particularly evocative. Study other group plantings but let nature be your primary guide.
Shibui's guide is excellent to the point of being textbook.

 

[LindaPat]

Study the woods surrounding you. ( and elsewhere) There is a great deal of variation in forest settings depending on topography. There are deep woods that can be level or stilted. There are some where rocks are subsurface and unseen, or virtually non existent. There are others where rocks can be a dominating feature. A favorite for many if not most people, is a clump of trees as in a hilltop planting. These can be particularly evocative. Study other group plantings but let nature be your primary guide.
Shibui's guide is excellent to the point of being textbook.

Thank you. I’ve been looking carefully at individual trees since starting this art, but haven’t been studying forests, so it’s a new interesting thing to notice.