Pictures, I hope.

[treeman82]

This is the first of a series of pictures fellas. This is a house down the road from mine that I have been working at for the past few days. I know that it still needs a lot more detail work, but not bad for my first real large tree pruning job.

 

[treeman82]

this is a better picture of the white oak. It has never been touched before I started doing this work.

 

[treeman82]

This is the front of the house after we got a lot of work done, still a lot of nit-picking to do though.

 

[treeman82]

This is the oak tree. I figure I will go out and work the tips next year, but I still have to finish off the interior a bit.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I don't think I would be crwling too far out on a limb in saying that was over pruned. Put it looks vigorouse. them to water well.

Maybe some of my vaunted fish sause too.

 

[treeman82]

Actually John, the reason I had to leave yesterday was because it started POURING. Lots of rain / lots of lightning. It's supposed to do the same in just a little while.

 

[Toddppm]

Matt , hope you don't take this the wrong way but, what were you trying to do with that tree? That looks like a pretty mature tree and the less you remove the better. Deadwood crossing/rubbing branches and clearance from the house and sidewalks is about all I'd do to a tree like that. I'm sure you've heard this before but we're not charging by the pound When I first started I was taught to liontail them and interior thin everything but after much reading, classes and seeing the long term effects, seems like I hardly take anything out compared to before and the best part is it pays the same.

 

[Higherup]

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the after pics on the oak, I was'nt going to post anything but since they did I guess I should to, I remember one tree in perticular a Krimson king maple I had about 2yrs exp and I was suppose to thin and structure prune the tree and basically I strip it bare I made good cuts and all but lets just say I went over board on the thinning and now its 8 yrs later and the other night I was talking to one of my good friends and past coworker and he still gives me a hard time about that tree. I take as a learning exp and move on sometimes you just cant take yourself to ???? serious and leave room for growth.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Not only is that WAY over pruned it doesn't look like a white oak either.

 

[treeman82]

Mike- I can go scan a leaf from the tree on here tomorow if you would like?? I am 100% positive that is a white oak.

I kind of figured after I got into it a bit that I had over pruned. As most of you guys have said though, this is a learning experience. Also as I said before, it's my first good size tree to prune. We must also take into account though that this tree had never been touched as far as pruning of the crown goes.

What would you guys have done differently? I know the pictures I have here don't really do the tree justice... but ya know.

 

[DDM]

Theres No way Your finished the top is still there!

 

[treeclimber165]

T82,
You asked "How would you guys have pruned it differently?"
I was also taught by a guy who gaffed EVERY tree, and would blow huge limbs out of a trim 'to open it up a little'. But as I gained experience and a better understanding of trees, I couldn't see any good to be gained by blowing out huge limbs for no reason. Especially after becoming certified about 6 years ago, I've come to question myself on EVERY cut. I ask myself "WHY does this limb need to come off?" Unless it is dying back, diseased, crossing or poor structure it doesn't come off. If the best I can come up with is "It'll open up this side of the tree", I leave it and thin the tips.

 

[treeman82]

Brian- really all I do is take downs, and am trying to get more practice with pruning. So your dillema is very real to me. As I was up there I said to myself on a lot of branches "this doesn't need to be here because it is crossing over this one, or it is hanging down, or its job is being done by this one over here" As far as suckers went, I simply said "this is a sucker, it goes."

 

[coydog]

The tree looked pretty good in the before pictures, ... 20% rule (don't remove more than 20% of green in a season) I believe should be more like 15 or even 10% for mature trees(but why remove 10% if its in good shape?. It's amazing what a difference only deadwooding can do aesthetically. I didn't see the tree and pictures can rarely do justice, but the crossing, rubbbing , parallel,etc. guidelines can be overfollowed as well. I wouldn't remove crossing branches on a mature tree if it would result in removing a large percentage of the tree at once. My experience is limited and I am a rookie at best compared to a lot of participants on this site, but I had the good fortune to do a lot of extensive pruning on mature trees when I first started climbing, and I definitely overpruned my share when left to my own devices, what I have come to realize is pruning is 5% about the health of the tree and 95% aesthetics, and the best artists are those who can make a tree look great(and feel great?) with the minimum of cuts. Just like a painter or sculptor has to step back from a work in progress, I think it's important for a climber to come down walk across the street,into the neighbor's yard etc. and look between cuts at the big picture.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Very nicely put coydawg!

i like looking from diffrent perspectives that other people will be looking at the tree from- across the street; driving up the drive; stepping out the front door. or even sitting in that char over thar....

i think of it kinda like looking at diffent facets (faces ) of a gem; and then draw out something that maximizes those angles; yet is harmonious to the trees health.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

http://www.chesco.com/~treeman/SHIGO/DOSE.html

 

[Acer]

Originally posted by Toddppm
but we're not charging by the pound When I first started I was taught to liontail them and interior thin everything but after much reading, classes and seeing the long term effects, seems like I hardly take anything out compared to before and the best part is it pays the same.

And so it should pay the same. Although you're taking less out, there's just as much climbing to be done - you still have to cover the entire tree, and probably go out further on thinner sections.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Acer, are you kidding? You should charge <I>more </I>because you are doing it correctly.
You won't be another hack just gratuitously cutting out living branches. Leave the suckers too, no need to cut them out, unless you are talking basil suckers.

 

[Eric E.]

Don't theyteach pruning as part of the U Mass Arb. course?

 

[treeman82]

They do teach pruning in the course of the major. There is some shade tree pruning class you can take. I think I should take it. I did take a climbing class there and did just fine in it. During the climbing class we each had to prune a street tree, mine was a honey locust. I got an A on that as well. Like I said though fellas, my experience lies in removals and removing large hazard branches. Pruning, especially of large shade trees is something I am very new to.