Can It Be Saved?

This Bradford pear had a girdling root that wrapped around 270 degrees of the circumference. The homeowners had me look at this tree because it was failing. Doing surgery on a problem like this is not a sure thing, especially during a wet summer when fungus and bacteria have ideal growing conditions in the soil. I told the landowner how to proceed, and he has removed the root with a Sawsall and a sharp chisel. I will be taking a look later this week to see how the patient is doing.