A client in Seattle told me my pruning cuts were too clean, and it stuck with me

I had this one client last spring who watched me finish up a cherry tree and asked why I was making every cut flush to the branch. I told her that was standard practice, and she pointed out that I was leaving zero collar for the tree to seal over. I went home and checked my notes from a class I took in 2019, and sure enough, I had been overthinking it. Now I leave a bit more of the branch collar unless there's a specific reason not to, and honestly the trees look happier and the wounds heal way faster. Has anyone else had a non-arborist point out something that made you rethink your own basics?

1 comments

1 Comment

mitchell.thomas18d ago

Respect that client for getting you to look twice, but I would push back on leaving extra collar as a blanket rule. Ive cut trees for years and seen plenty of cases where a stubborn collar left on a tight crotch branch just rots out and invites bugs in, especially on maples. The old flush cuts are bad, sure, but there is a middle ground where you read the branch angle and the trees growth habit first. Your cherry example works because they seal fast, but on something like a young oak I would rather make a slightly tighter cut than leave a lump that catches water. Maybe she was right for that tree, not for every tree.