Hit 500 trees pruned this season and still messed up a simple maple

I was keeping a rough tally on a notepad in my truck and hit exactly 500 prunes yesterday afternoon. Felt pretty good about it until I took off a branch collar that was way too flush on a homeowner's Japanese maple. It was the 3rd tree of the day and I got cocky. Has anyone else hit a nice round number only to humiliate yourself right after?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas_torres1mo ago

Exactly what happened to me last fall. Hit 300 clean prunes on a big job, felt like a hotshot, then rushed a limb on a client's oak and left a stub that looked like garbage. Now I force myself to walk a full lap around the next tree after a big milestone. Reset the pace before you touch another branch.

tyler8541mo ago

Pushed through the same mistake on a walnut last month after bragging to my crew about hitting 200 trees clean. Just told myself to slow down on the next one and it helped.