Hot take: maybe we don't need to prune every single dead branch off a tree?

I left a big dead limb on a mature oak last season because I was swamped, and the tree actually seemed healthier with more habitat birds and less stress on the trunk. Anyone else ever let a tree ride with some dead wood and see it bounce back better than the ones you cleaned up perfect?

3 comments

3 Comments

taraanderson2d ago

You mentioned the tree seemed healthier with more habitat birds and less stress on the trunk, but I wonder if that's just wishful thinking. A big dead limb on a mature oak can rot and fall at the worst time, maybe on your roof or a car. I've seen trees where leaving dead wood let in decay that spread down to the main trunk, and then you're looking at a removal job that costs way more than a simple prune would have. Plus, birds will nest in live branches just fine if you leave the canopy thick enough. Pruning isn't about being perfect, it's about keeping the tree safe and sound for the long haul.

jessica_robinson232d ago

Yeah I get what you're saying about "leaving dead wood let in decay." That's a real concern for sure. But funny enough my buddy had this old maple in his backyard with a huge dead limb that he kept putting off cutting. Rot spread all the way down and took out like half the trunk. Cost him over two grand to get it removed and he was pissed at himself for not just pruning it when it was small. So yeah safety first with deadwood near anything valuable.

norab211d ago

That's a fair point about the cost of waiting too long. But doesn't the whole "letting it decay" thing depend a lot on what kind of tree it is and where the dead wood is? Like, a big dead branch on a fast-growing maple is a whole different ballgame than a small dead limb way up in a sturdy oak. Your buddy's maple sounds like it was doomed from the start if rot traveled that fast. A lot of oaks have natural defenses that can wall off dead areas, you know? Isn't it worth figuring out which trees actually need the snag for habitat versus which ones are just asking for trouble?