That time a customer said my pruning looked 'too aggressive' and it made me rethink everything

I had a lady last spring tell me I was butchering her oak tree because I took out about 30% of the canopy. I thought I was doing the right thing for long term health but she made me second guess if I'm too heavy handed. Anyone else ever get feedback that made you totally change how you approach a cut?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessicaw541mo ago

Oak trees are a whole different beast, they handle a heavy prune way worse than a maple or elm does. 30% on an oak is a lot, that lady probably had a point even if she was rude about it. Next time on a mature oak just take out deadwood and crossing branches, maybe 10-15% tops, and save the big cuts for dormant season.

emmafisher1mo ago

Haven't you ever seen an oak bounce back from a storm that took off way more than 30%? They're tough trees, they can handle a decent prune if you know what you're doing. A light trim every year just makes them grow back thicker and messier, sometimes you gotta go harder to actually fix the structure.