Got roasted by an old timer for leaving branches too long and it finally clicked

I had this 40 year climber named Pete watch me chip a silver maple last spring in Nashville. He pointed at my waste pile and said "you're making five cuts where one will do, kid." I was leaving stubs like 8-10 inches long thinking it was safer, but he showed me how cutting closer to the trunk actually reduces hazard in the long run. Anyone else have a mentor call out a bad habit you didn't even know you had?

3 comments

3 Comments

paige4271mo agoTop Commenter

Hold up though, longer stubs can help the tree seal off properly in some cases.

danielmason1mo ago

@paige427 saving trees with stubs. Bold move for someone so close to that branch.

james_kim12h ago

Okay you might be onto something here, because I used to be all about cutting them as short as possible (like right at the collar). But then I had a maple that got some dieback from a super short cut and it took forever to heal. Your point about letting the tree seal off properly actually makes a lot of sense, especially for those slower-healing species. I'm gonna have to revisit my approach on my next pruning job, maybe leave a bit more length depending on the tree.