Old forester told me to cut dead limbs flush with the trunk... big mistake

I was working a cleanup job in Portland last month and followed this old timer's advice on a big oak. Ended up leaving a massive wound that didn't seal right and now the tree's got rot creeping in. Has anyone else been taught the wrong way to prune and had to unlearn it?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendysmith1mo ago

That collar cut myth got a lot of nice trees killed, sadly.

logan_schmidt1mo ago

Ugh, right? It's infuriating. People just parrot stuff online without checking. That myth cost so many healthy trees. Tree services were out there cutting collars like crazy. All that damage for nothing. Just dumb.

avery3661mo ago

Did you see any of those trees in your neighborhood get butchered too? It's just sad how a well intentioned myth ended up causing so much damage. People should really double check before spreading stuff like that.