Just realized the before and after on this client's old oak I pruned 3 years ago

I went back to a property I worked on in 2021 out in Salem, a big red oak that was getting choked by a ton of deadwood and crossing limbs. The owner wanted a light trim so I spent a whole Saturday just cleaning it out, nothing too crazy. Fast forward to last week when I drove by and man, the difference is crazy. That tree went from looking stressed and kinda scrawny to having this full, open canopy that lets light through real nice. The crown filled back in like crazy, way more branch density and healthier leaves. I think the problem was all those dead limbs were blocking airflow and robbing energy from the good wood. Now I'm wondering if I should go back heavier on similar trees earlier in the cycle. Has anyone else seen a huge change in a tree a few years after a proper cleanout?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_foster24d agoProlific Poster

Pruning is a lot like clearing out a cluttered garage you finally get around to organizing, everything works better and you wonder why you waited so long. Good work brings the whole system back to life, not just the tree itself.

hannah_perry24d ago

Respectfully, @harper_foster, a tree isn't a garage you organize once and forget about. A cleanout can do wonders but you also need to keep up with follow up cuts every few years to stop the same issues coming back. That big change you saw probably came from the tree finally having good structure to grow into, not just from removing clutter.

alex_wilson7924d ago

Man that's a rough feeling when you drive by and realize you should've done more. Good on you for paying attention to the long term results though.