What to do with this Trident Maple

[leatherback]

Hi, I just bought a similar trident trunk which I'll drastically prune this winter/spring, but wouldn't be safer to cut to the other side, showing in yellow or flat? Giving better chance to the smaller shoot to become even the new leader?
View attachment 607857

I normally just make a rough cut, quite a bit higher than the branch I want to use and allow it to start up. Once you see in the bark it has started to compartmentalize you can make the slanted cut.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Hi, I just bought a similar trident trunk which I'll drastically prune this winter/spring, but wouldn't be safer to cut to the other side, showing in yellow or flat? Giving better chance to the smaller shoot to become even the new leader?
View attachment 607857

Cutting it at the yellow line could create a bulge to deal with.

 

[NaoTK]

Just throwing this out there, your taper-less trunk could still be used as long as your next segment is proportionally shorter, like this example below:



Here is another nice option if you make the aforementioned broom after chopping half way up:

 

[Driftwood]

Cutting it at the yellow line could create a bulge to deal with.

Thank you for your reply.
But there was already a little branch higher on the other side, so basically cutting to two branches Wouldn't heal faster? And if you don't mind another question... can I start this year cutting the first stage of two stage chop / progressive chop? (don't know how it's call) to gain time healing.