TIL a client in Bellingham had been topping his own maple for three years before calling us.

Last week we got a call for a hazard assessment, and the tree was a mess of water sprouts and decay pockets. The owner said he'd been 'keeping it tidy' every spring with a pole saw from the hardware store. How common is it for homeowners to cause more problems trying to save a few hundred bucks?

3 comments

3 Comments

ray8161mo ago

Ugh, that's the story of my life around here.

nancyhernandez1mo ago

Oh man, that's so true. I watched my neighbor butcher a beautiful old apple tree for years. He'd just whack off any branch that got near his roof line, leaving these awful stubs. Now the whole thing is just a thicket of these skinny, weak shoots and it looks terrible. He honestly thought he was doing it a favor. It's sad because that tree is probably a lost cause now.

leor831mo ago

Short hot take: Classic DIY disaster. Longer response: It's way too common. People see a branch and just hack at it without knowing where to cut. Those water sprouts are a direct result of bad pruning, and a pole saw from a box store just makes it worse every year. They end up with a weak, ugly tree that's actually more dangerous. Sometimes paying a pro from the start saves you a huge headache and a bigger bill later.