Killing a Sweet Gum Tree?

Karen,
If you can, drill a few holes in the roots or at the base of the tree. Take boiled hot water that you've added a whole box of salt to and pour into the holes. If you can't drill holes then pour hot salt boiling water around on top of the roots and around the tree. This does take alittle time to do. but by later in the season it should rot. You can also use this method on stumps that you want to get rid of. It rots them completely. Hope this helps you.

Beverly

A tree removal service can remove even the tallest sweet gum trees by climbing the tree and lopping it off from the top down. The problem with killing the tree as it stands is that then the tree will fall when the next big wind blows -- probably onto your house, car, or propane tank, luck being what it is.

I don't know, but I've heard that cutting through the bark all the way around will kill a tree.