Tree Butchers

[pbtree]

I still never cease to be amazed at what some call tree trimming - these poor things never stood a chance against the hacks that did this job...

 

[fubar2]

I would have at least whipped out my carveing bar and turned em into phallic symbals. Dont look like they are much good for anything else.

 

[skwerl]

I interpret trees like this as further proof that many people out there have no clue about trees. Many homeowners would never know that this is a bad thing, even if you explained it. Their overriding fear of big trees over their houses will pretty much negate any facts you give them.

When was the last time you had a big windstorm/thunderstorm and the news crew showed pictures of the trees that withstood the storm and protected the house???

 

[matthias]

Homeowners like that style of trimming because of how nice it "leafs out" in the spring. Just like giant brocolli. They might've left the stubs on those trees because thats what was holding their ladders up. Safety first.

 

[KentuckySawyer]

Maybe they left the trunks standing for wildlife habitat.

Maybe...

 

[Redbull]

Looks like they were modeling after the utility poles nearby.

 

[spacemule]

Surely no one thinks those trees are healthy? Were they trimmed for line clearance?

 

[skwerl]

Surely no one thinks those trees are healthy? Were they trimmed for line clearance?

In my experience, trees like this are the result of cutting to the owner's specifications. Nothing within X feet of the building and nothing over X feet high, because it's "TOO TALL and IT'S GONNA FALL ON MY HOUSE".
:bang:

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

That's hideous!

I used to live in southern Kalifornia, and we had a lot of fruitless mulberrys in my town. (Mulberries?) Anyway, the local "tree care" community had convinced most of the inhabitants that the mullberries had to be whacked back to stumps every year or they would get diseased. Every fall, the butchers are out in force, ruining trees. It is a great racket for them.

Funny, the one in my back yard didn't look like it had ever been touched. I'm guessing it was the same age as the house - around 30 years old when I bought the place. Sure was a healthy tree. So were the mulberries on city right of ways that had had nothing but occasional line clearance, and some had nothing done to them. No disease. No problem.

I doubt if there was a decent arborist in the town. Mostly low-lifes with pickup trucks.

 

[daveyclimber]

Well , this is an all too common occurance in my part of the country. Are those liquid ambers ? I must say that in my area 70% of trees that are trimmed do not look much better than that .We are currently working with the District Attorney and the Contractors Licensing Board to reduce the amount of pickup truck tree services in our area . Next step after this will be creating some type of legislation to combat the use of substandard practices and workers maintaining an enviromental entity . This should also somehow be included in the safe neighborhood act as healthy beautiful trees reduce eyesores therfore reducing the habitat that scum of the earth people seek out

 

[fmueller]

Maybe they were'nt finished yet and were leaving the rest for the sawmill guys to pick up. Get the stubs off and they look like nice sawlogs.

 

[Tree Frog]

Wow, a bird house would sure look nice on those poles.

 

[Koa Man]

At one seminar by Shigo that I attended, Dr. Shigo said, "Please don't call people that mutilate trees, butchers. Butchers are a highly skilled professional." I have a good friend that is a retired meat cutter. He told me butchers cut the beef or pork into the different sections, like your ribeye section, sirloin section, etc. Meat cutters take the sectioned meat and cut them into steaks.

Years ago when I was starting out and working this business on my days off from my full time job, I topped off 3 mango trees, cutting only the branches that I could run through the chipper. Many branches had tear outs, but I didn't care since all three trees were removals. I left them like that for a week (till my next days off), then came back without the chipper, to take down the trees and hand loading the logs into the truck. Anyone who saw the trees in the interim must have thought, who the h*ll trimmed those trees.

 

[matthias]

Here's some of my own personal butchery. Vegetation Management at its best.

 

[Thirdpete]

should those trees have been planted that close to the building anyway?

 

[wpbgent]

Speaking of which, I couldn't get the camera in time, but a few guys across from my house just removed a big ficus stump (30" dia) with the dullest saw in the world and I watched the guy make like 16 cuts !!! then, 4 of them pushed it over and out came the 252, also DULL... I got their business card !!!

LOL