Tree trimming incorrectly done?

[trystero]

Hi... my wife and I recently purchased a home with a large number of older trees on the property. We had a tree service come out and trim some of the lower branches that were either touching the roof of the home, or leaning heavily on telephone/cable lines. I noticed that upon completion of the work, several branches were trimmed back, but not all the way back to the trunk. Since it looked strange to me, I thought I would post a couple of pictures here for opinions. Was this job done incorrectly? Should the branches have been pruned back to the trunk? Anything I can do, if needed to remedy this?

Thanks for any help.

 

[vharrison2]

Hi trystero, congratulations on buying a home and welcome to ArboristSite. The cuts that were made are not up to ANSI standards, which a Certified Arborist should adhere to. I can see where, in picture #1647, he/she tried to bring back the limb to a branch, but the branch is small compared to the limb. In picture 1642 that references 1647, the stub that was left should have been taken a little further back to the limb with a collar cut. The pictures on the left side of the tree are not as clear to me.

I am sure others will chime in.

Best of luck and again, welcome to ArboristSite. Stick around and have some fun!

 

[Dadatwins]

Looks like some classic stubbing cuts. Does not look good in my opinion. Limbs do not have to always be cut back to the trunk to properly prune a tree but they should not look like that. Since I can't see the before where they should have cut doesn't matter now, get a certified arborist there to check the tree and correct the present cuts. Stub limbs left like that on an oak will most likely die back to the the trunk and cause problems later on. I hope they did not spike/gaff that tree to do the pruning. Good luck with the house and welcome to site.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I would question why the branches were cut back to such small laterals, but sometimes there just isn't a good place to cut back to. Some branches just grow long and straight and don't have laterals that are 1/3 the size.
That said, it looks like the limbs in question were stubbed off, and at this point I'd just leave them be, because as far as I can tell there aren't any big laterals to cut back to and complete removal is not good either. Hopefully in time, the end shoots will grow out fast and correct the unnatural look.

 

[Mike Barcaskey]

I'm guessing that it is an oak tree and I agree with the above comments. But take into consideration that in removing these branches all the way back to the trunk may result in a top heavy looking tree. sort of a lollipop.
hard to tell the whole story from the pics, but maybe they were trying to avoid the lollipop look by leaving something down lower

 

[Ax-man]

Looks like my competition did the job for you. Yes, it was done incorrectly, please call them back and complain LOUDLY.

I am glad that you as a homeowner are aware of a bad job done , most aren't or just plain don't care because they saved some money by not hiring the right person or company.

Welcome to the site

Larry

 

[notahacker]

Take a look at my competition!

Have them come back, cut those back to the collar, and don't pay them for it.

 

[treeseer]

I agree with Mike, the one that was cut back to a small upright lateral may have had too much taken off, but the sun wil hit it and it should regrow all right in time. the one on the left I see no lateral and it seems more shaded so maybe it should be taken back to the trunk. best to wait and see how it grows.

Overall I think they tried too hard to follow your instructions to clear the roof. a little better specification may have left the tree in better condition. AnSI 5.6.4.2, "Location of parts to be removed should be specified". Post pictures of the trunk and rootzone if you like, so we know more about the tree's condition.

Gigi, which standard do you see that pruning out of compliance with?

 

[rebelman]

That's against every standard and ordinance established. That is classic malpractice. That is bad. I think people do that so they won't have to clean up the heaviest part of the branch. If they get a "redo" it will probably be flush cuts. Get in writing that work is to be done to ANSI tree pruning standard.

 

[treeseer]

That's against every standard and ordinance established. That is classic malpractice. .

Rebelman, we agree that it looks like overpruning, but we do not have a "before" picture to compare it to. If we insist on the 1/3 rule or collar cuts, we may be demanding an increase in overpruning.

Which standard do you think this work is against?

 

[vharrison2]

I agree with Mike, the one that was cut back to a small upright lateral may have had too much taken off, but the sun wil hit it and it should regrow all right in time. the one on the left I see no lateral and it seems more shaded so maybe it should be taken back to the trunk. best to wait and see how it grows.

Overall I think they tried too hard to follow your instructions to clear the roof. a little better specification may have left the tree in better condition. AnSI 5.6.4.2, "Location of parts to be removed should be specified". Post pictures of the trunk and rootzone if you like, so we know more about the tree's condition.

Gigi, which standard do you see that pruning out of compliance with?

Treeseer, I wasn't refering to a specific standard, just ANSI A300 in general.

 

[NickfromWI]

That said, it looks like the limbs in question were stubbed off, and at this point I'd just leave them be...

I agree. If you cut back to the trunk, you're opening the entire trunk to decay. At least this way, if you leave it be, any decay will be several meters away from it.

Perhaps it wasn't done the best way possible. My guess is they took TOO much off. But now, I too would leave it alone.

love
nick

 

[NickfromWI]

For all we know, the ends of those branches could be classified as, "dead, dying, or diseased."

The damage is done. No sense putting more cuts on the tree.

love
nick

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I agree. If you cut back to the trunk, you're opening the entire trunk to decay. At least this way, if you leave it be, any decay will be several meters away from it.

Oh boy, no you went and opened up a big can of treeseer worms...He'll be yammering about pink boards and suggesting a crown reduction for the rest of the tree...

 

[trystero]

Thank you, everyone.

I never expected such a large amount of thoughtful advice regarding the state of the trees. Thanks all.

I don't think I have any 'before' pictures, but I will look

I can say that they did not spike these trees... I believe they had a truck with a platform for both of them.

As far as the tree locations, the one between the two houses is actually splitting a shared asphalt paved driveway ( I know, probably not good ) :\ It has a very small amount of dirt about the trunk before the blacktop starts.

The second tree is in the front yard, just before the front yard begins to slope. The slope is appox 60 degrees towards the sidewalk for about 6 feet. Unfortunately, that is not the end of the story. Previous to our having moved in, the neighbor cut a new driveway on his side. The new driveway was about 6 feet from the trunk, but I could see that the guys who did it cut a lot of roots. I had an arborist come out to have a look who suggested feeding the tree. In general, they tree's health looked good to him, although he was not happy about the roots at all.

There were mixed opinions on whether I should further cut the trees to correct any problems so not entirely sure what to do there, but, I would rather not shock them anymore... My biggest concern was any rot issues that might arise from improper cuts. I also don't want the original company to come back out to correct things, since now they seem like possible clowns and I don't want them making things worse.

I guess I will see if I can get an arborist to have another look. So, the lesson of the story seems to be make sure the guy cutting is a licensed arborist and make sure they are following ANSI standards for pruning.

 

[HELSEL]

When most jobs are bid the land owner tells you what they want.Was you there when this job was being done? It is not the fault of the trimmer if you told him what you wanted.I am sure you pointed out what you wanted done.


Rick

 

[treeseer]

Gigi, rebelman, my hope was that someone would actually open up the standards and refer to them specifically rather than in general. Was that too much to hope for?.

Mike, no pink boards and no more cutting, esp. after hearing about the root damage.

Sounds like a prime candidate for Paclobutrazol. does your arborist know anything about growth regulators? Fertilizing may be harmful; not the way to go here I think.

 

[vharrison2]

treeseer, you really are a teacher at heart. I will do my homework and look the standard up!!

 

[trystero]

There have been a couple posts referring to my perhaps not being specific enough in my instructions.

As far as what I requested, I asked that no branches touch the roof of the house and that no branches be left bending the cable/telephone lines. I also requested that the health of the tree be the primary consideration and then asked for his recommendations. I am not sure if that was specific enough or not He didn't ask me to be more specific, and, to be honest, I don't know if I could have, having very limited knowledge regarding tree health. When I asked him to "remove the branches touching the lines and house," I assumed he would apply the expertise he had in judging what cuts would best accomplish that goal.

treeseer, thanks again for your suggestion on the Paclobutrazol and growth regulators. When the arborist comes back out, I will bring them up. If there is any layman-type literature online regarding the above that you are aware of, I would be very interested in reading it myself.

best,
trystero

 

[NickfromWI]

When most jobs are bid the land owner tells you what they want.

And then this is where you chime in to merge your knowledge of what's best for the tree with what it is they WANT for the tree. Just because they WANT it a certain way, that doesn't mean that's how it's to be done.

Just making sure we're on the same page here.

love
nick