Got schooled on pruning cuts by a 70 year old arborist in Milwaukee

I used to always make my pruning cuts flush with the trunk because I thought it looked cleaner. Then I had this old timer come into my shop and watch me work on a maple tree. He told me I was leaving wounds that would never heal right and invited rot into the tree. He showed me how to cut just outside the branch collar so the tree can seal itself up properly. I tried it on the next job and the difference was obvious after a few months. Now I swear by that method and I cringe when I see other guys cutting flush. Has anyone else had an old pro change the way you work with trees?

2 comments

2 Comments

oscarm241d agoTop Commenter

Read a piece from a forestry extension out of Wisconsin that said flush cuts basically peel back the tree's natural defense barrier. The branch collar is there for a reason, it's like a built-in seal. That old timer set you straight, most guys just want it to look neat until the tree starts shedding limbs a few years down the road.

logan_schmidt1d ago

Man, I feel this one deep down. I learned that lesson the hard way. Made a flush cut on a big oak branch five years ago. Looked clean as a whistle at the time. Now that tree's got rot creeping in and a dead stub where a healthy limb used to be. Guess I was just trying to impress the neighbors with my "nice" pruning job. Oops.