Overheard a guy at the supply house say 'just trim it back hard, it'll bounce back'

I was grabbing some rope at Valley Supply last Tuesday and heard this guy bragging about torching a big oak limb with a chainsaw, saying it would be fine after a hard trim. He was talking about cutting back like 60% of the crown on an old tree near a house. Has anyone else run into folks who think aggressive pruning on mature trees is no big deal, or am I overreacting?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_kelly91mo ago

Hard trim it'll bounce back" yeah until it doesn't and you got a limb through a roof. I'm not saying every tree is sacred but cutting back 60% on an old oak near a house sounds like a gamble to me.

tarabell1mo ago

You ever had to pay for a roof repair? That'll change your mind real quick.

jessica1301mo ago

I actually saw this article from the Arbor Day Foundation that said proper pruning can actually make trees safer in storms, not less safe. They recommended taking off no more than 25% of live branches in a season if you have to do it. So that 60% cut on an old oak sounds way too aggressive to me.