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Had a chat with an old-timer that made me rethink my whole approach to pruning

I was out on a job in the suburbs last week, taking down some dead branches from a big old oak. This guy, must have been 70, comes out of his house and starts watching me. He was super nice, just curious about my gear. We got to talking, and he told me he used to prune trees back when they used rope and a hand saw for everything. No poles, no harnesses, just climbing boots and a good knot. He said something like 'you kids worry too much about the cuts being perfect, but the tree just wants to breathe.' At first I thought he was just old-school blowing smoke, but then I looked at the tree he pointed to in his backyard. That thing was a mess of old wounds but thriving, tons of new growth. It hit me different because I've been stressing over every little angle and flush cut, following all the modern rules. Maybe I've been overthinking it and missing the big picture. Has anyone else had a chat with an old-timer that made you simplify your approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

max41520d ago

That old oak he pointed to, how long ago did he prune it himself? Because I'm curious if the tree just naturally bounced back despite bad cuts or if his "mess of old wounds" actually had some method to the madness. A lot of the old guys I've met have this weird pride in being sloppy, like careful work is for amateurs. But I've also seen trees that survived lightning strikes and car bumps, so maybe we're just giving ourselves ulcers over stuff that doesn't matter to the tree at all.

amy_foster7920d ago

He pruned it maybe 5 years back, @max415.