Wrote off that tree paint stuff for 12 years, then watched a guy use it on a 40 foot oak in Boise

William Thompson · 2026-09-30T18:30:02.919801+00:00

Tbh I always figured wound dressing was just something old timers did out of habit. Last week I helped a crew take down a big dying maple in Boise and the lead guy there brushed some on the cuts over 3 inches, said he's been doing it for 20 years on trees he actually cares about keeping. I asked him why and he said it is not about stopping decay, it is about slowing moisture loss on thin barked stuff in our dry summers. We came back 5 days later to finish cleanup and the cut edges looked way less cracked than the untreated ones on the same tree. Ngl I'm still not sold on using it everywhere, but I ate some crow on this one. Any of you using wound dressing on specific species out west or is it still a waste of time in your book?

Opinions Matter

Loading…

Wrote off that tree paint stuff for 12 years, then watched a guy use it on a 40 foot oak in Boise | Arborists - Opinions Matter