Tired of seeing people cut branches flush with the trunk. Stop doing that.

I was trimming a big oak tree over by the park last week and some random guy comes up and asks why I leave these little nubs on my cuts. He said his buddy told him to cut them clean to the trunk. Told him that's exactly how you invite decay right into the heartwood. The branch collar is there for a reason. Has anyone else had to correct homeowners on this or am I the only one fighting the good fight?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_grant7019d ago

Idk, I saw this arborist video on YouTube that said the same thing. The branch collar is the tree's natural defense system.

oliver_baker4919d ago

Nah but every arborist I've seen says to cut flush with the trunk so the tree can seal over faster. That collar thing sounds like bro science to me, trees have been healing from branch snaps for millions of years without us overthinking it lol.

dylan_ward18d ago

The branch collar thing gets pushed hard online but I've seen plenty of old oaks with flush cuts that healed over just fine. Trees have been dropping limbs naturally forever and they don't have arborists trimming them with a collar cut. Feels like overcomplicating something that's worked for thousands of years.