Hot take: I think the 'never top a tree' rule is too simple for storm damage work

I was called to a property in Charlotte after a big ice storm. A huge white oak limb had split and was hanging over the house, but the main trunk was still solid. Everyone said to just take the whole tree down. Instead, I did a heavy reduction cut on that limb, about 15 feet back from the split, to save the tree's structure. It's been three years and the oak is healthy and filling back in. When is a reduction cut better than a full removal?

3 comments

3 Comments

morgan_black901mo ago

My own storm damage haircut was way worse than that oak's, honestly.

ivanross1mo ago

Oof, did you have to get a whole new cut to fix it?

nancycooper1mo ago

My friend's post-storm hair looked like a scared poodle, @morgan_black90.

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