uma896•19d ago

The arborist crew I saw working on Maple Street in Austin was doing some sketchy stuff

I was driving through Austin last Tuesday and stopped to watch a crew trimming a big live oak on Maple Street. They were using spikes to climb a tree that was clearly healthy and not being removed, which is a sure way to mess up the bark and introduce decay. On top of that, they left stubs on three branches instead of cutting to the collar, so those are gonna rot out in a year or two. I almost pulled over to say something but figured they'd just tell me to mind my own business. Has anyone else seen city crews or contractors cutting corners like this in their area?

2 comments

2 Comments

janahenderson19d ago

Whoa hold up, I get why you're annoyed but is this really that big of a deal? I've seen tons of tree crews do the exact same stuff and the trees around here are still standing fine years later. A few spike holes or stubs won't kill a healthy live oak, those things are tough as nails. Plus half the time folks online get worked up over trimming techniques that don't even matter in the long run. I'd save your breath and not worry about it unless limbs start falling on cars or something.

wadeyoung15d ago

Hold up, a few spike holes aren't harmless - they can actually invite rot over time.