ropensaddle
Feel Lucky
Remember trucks and equipment kill roots so though its easier not as healthy to the sub soil and forest. One thing to remember look at the dead limbs are they merely shaded out by canopy or is there an active disorder killing them? In my area, I did a lot of remedial work to a woodlot after a tornado ripped through it we used a dozer grapple truck etc. I informed the customer likely trees would die later and she said well I know a guy that will cut them as she smiled at me lol. It turned out to be a can of worms because after the tornado we had back to back droughts and hypoxylon canker was taking out the white oaks all over our state. I burnt the brush and wood on site to reduce the larger equipment needs going forward 3 huge summer projects later and finally I think the wood lot is recovering. The biggest reason for doing the work was she had a paint ball course and kids playing in the woods with large dead trees everywhere. From a tree health pov I don't think I can call my efforts real successful as some trees were obviously killed in tornado restoration process. However, the only way I would have attempted the clean up was with the equipment used, picture 50 dump truck loads of debris! Hypoxylon from my reading is in the oaks already and takes over in severe droughts so removing it really only reduced spores. However if your trees are suffering from oak wilt then swift remedial work may produce actual benefit.
