Just cleaned out this oak 2 weeks ago. comments?

[Treetom]

after looks better than before.

 

[Tree Pig]

The pruning doesnt look that extreme it looks like there may be something else going on with the root system causing the leaf production to be limited.

 

[Slvrmple72]

You git paid by the pound or what?!

 

[Nailsbeats]

Looks like you achieved what you were going for and that's alright by me. Good work.

 

[mckeetree]

yes

look close at the before and tell me how much was really in the middle?

im tellin you that most was dead. and that is the tree looks lion tailed due to size of spread.Plus i cleaned a ton of toe out of it.

believe it or not its raining so im just trolling,but what i pruned was just what it needed. I have pruned many diseased trees.Although it appears stripped most of the crap that was left needed to come off.

This tree reached its life span and needed a facelift before its inevitable demise.What i have done has more than likely prolonged the life of this very tree.had i left more disese infested crap on it its decline would have more than likely increased.

I felt good on giving more life that day,lord knows ive whacked a many healthier trees.

You remind me of some of those doctors at the VA hospitals that say things like "Now then what I done right here was chop this feller's legs off where caint nuthin get wrong with them. That's what I done rght here. Git R done."

 

[ropensaddle]

ropen, species has a lot to do with what pruning is proper, but I agree it was gutted in the name of hurricane-proofing, which is a questionable concept in terms of physics and biology.

Attached is a live oak in largo that i worked on last saturday. note green sprouts on lefthand trunk; all new coming back after stripping last year. job security for treeguys who come back every year with the stripping = stormproofing bs, instead of getting out to the tips where light reduction would make a real difference in stability.

Another crew found a mushroom at the base and told the owner no problem; just call the town and they can get a permit for removal. :censored: turns out there was very little rot in the tree; like killing a patient because of melanoma. lotta arbo snake oil going around in FL. No offense 12Ed; I'll be in cwtr in 3 weeks and demossing that largo tree; maybe we can check out some trees then. opcorn:

Live oak's lifespan is waaaaaay older than that tree is.

yes main thing is we are critiquing based on 2d maybe not totally fair.

Re-read :monkey:
Yes species can change pruning but what I said was pruning guidelines do not change from Florida to Ar,not methods,severity etc. I have had some experience with live oak but very limited I have not seen lions tailing as a positive in the guidelines have you?

The statement was in response to the Question is it in Florida and really has no bearing on proper pruning accept in Arid climates where less off may become the norm. I may have not been plain in my answer but Crown cleaning is Crown cleaning and lions tailing is lions tailing whether it is in Florida or on Mars!

 

[asthesun]

Re-read :monkey:
Yes species can change pruning but what I said was pruning guidelines do not change from Florida to Ar,not methods,severity etc. I have had some experience with live oak but very limited I have not seen lions tailing as a positive in the guidelines have you?

The statement was in response to the Question is it in Florida and really has no bearing on proper pruning accept in Arid climates where less off may become the norm. I may have not been plain in my answer but Crown cleaning is Crown cleaning and lions tailing is lions tailing whether it is in Florida or on Mars!

guidelines are just that, they're not rules or laws. the way that liveoaks grow is completely different than other types of trees, hence different pruning methods. the tree grew very sparse or had been liontailed before or is just sick in some way, causing it to grow the way it did. why wouldnt you cut suckers in the center? they'll never reach the canopy anyway and just detract from the look. man did spot-on work imo.

 

[ropensaddle]

guidelines are just that, they're not rules or laws. the way that liveoaks grow is completely different than other types of trees, hence different pruning methods. the tree grew very sparse or had been liontailed before or is just sick in some way, causing it to grow the way it did. why wouldnt you cut suckers in the center? they'll never reach the canopy anyway and just detract from the look. man did spot-on work imo.

I have seen improperly trimmed lions tailed trees recover by leaving suckers long enough to become limbs after a well manicured crown cleaning. We should believe you why?

 

[StihlRockin']

Not sure what the neg hype is about as it looks very clear to me. The whole inside was pretty much dead. The limb that was removed on the right side was obviously a stub and the other, like the original poster said, had a cavity. If you remove what should have removed, I'd think what you get is the after picture as it is seen.

The tree isn't a blank canvas that you create whatever you want. Often you have to work with what you got and this is what was done here.

Looks good. Good job!

StihlRockin'

 

[mckeetree]

Re-read :monkey:
Yes species can change pruning but what I said was pruning guidelines do not change from Florida to Ar,not methods,severity etc. I have had some experience with live oak but very limited I have not seen lions tailing as a positive in the guidelines have you?

The statement was in response to the Question is it in Florida and really has no bearing on proper pruning accept in Arid climates where less off may become the norm. I may have not been plain in my answer but Crown cleaning is Crown cleaning and lions tailing is lions tailing whether it is in Florida or on Mars!

Lions tailing is lions tailing. You know I hired this guy from Mississippi about ten years ago and before I could get him fired he about got me sued after he trimmed a tree as shown in the pic. Turned out he was a door to door snake oil peddler type of guy that could come up with a half believable answer to a layperson when asked any tree question. But when he got in a tree he could do one of two things, take it down or lions tail the fool out of it.

 

[Tree Pig]

Not sure what the neg hype is about as it looks very clear to me. The whole inside was pretty much dead. The limb that was removed on the right side was obviously a stub and the other, like the original poster said, had a cavity. If you remove what should have removed, I'd think what you get is the after picture as it is seen.

The tree isn't a blank canvas that you create whatever you want. Often you have to work with what you got and this is what was done here.

Looks good. Good job!

StihlRockin'

+1 I have to agree like I said before to me it looks like the lions tail look was produced by an unhealthy tree not by the pruning work. If you look at the before picture there was not much growth from the stems to the tips.

 

[ropensaddle]

Lions tailing is lions tailing. You know I hired this guy from Mississippi about ten years ago and before I could get him fired he about got me sued after he trimmed a tree as shown in the pic. Turned out he was a door to door snake oil peddler type of guy that could come up with a half believable answer to a layperson when asked any tree question. But when he got in a tree he could do one of two things, take it down or lions tail the fool out of it.

I agree it takes the combination of expertize, knowledge as well at the art of proper pruning one without the other is a half tree man imo. If only half will work I would opt for the knowledge and have him hire the other.

 

[Tree Pig]

You know I hired this guy from Mississippi

Well that was your first mistake

 

[mckeetree]

Well that was your first mistake

Well he sure talked a good show and I gave him a chance.

 

[ropensaddle]

Look I have seen worse I am not trying to belittle the op and don't wish to keep on about one over thinned oak. I can see where he did not have much to work with as others have posted. We were asked to evaluate this tree and what was done to it and I gave my opinion which I believe to be based off acquired knowledge and experience. I myself make bad cuts at times and am not perfect and if I post a pic of any work I would hope to learn if I was doing something wrong.

 

[John464]

kinda hard to tell whether its over-thinned or not. It may appear sparse because of the removal of dead and diseased limbs. It may have been a great job, minus the two lower limbs removed which could of been the homeowners request too.

 

[John464]

one more thing, there is some dead left up in the canopy. which could of been removed, but if it wasn't being paid for I would of left it too

 

[asthesun]

I have seen improperly trimmed lions tailed trees recover by leaving suckers long enough to become limbs after a well manicured crown cleaning. We should believe you why?

we should believe you why?

 

[treeseer]

guidelines are just that, they're not rules or laws.

*Yup the BMP's do allow for regional and species variation. Tellya what, 12--go back in a year and if there is no sprouting at your liontail cuts then they were right. Let the tree decide what is right!

the way that liveoaks grow is completely different than other types of trees, hence different pruning methods.

*O they are not that different really to say liontailing fits them.

why wouldnt you cut suckers in the center? they'll never reach the canopy anyway

*Branches do not have to reach the canopy to feed the tree, and this tree looks to be starving (as is the largo oak i posted a pic of) When canopies are thin is when they need interior growht all the more.

*The prevalence of mistletoe also indicates lack of canopy, and the need for every green leaf possible. In such a condition, it may have been best to leave those 2 lower ones on and just clean them up..hat cavity was not severe, and a growing "stub" is just a short branch that has not been restored yet..What did you spray on the 'toe?

and just detract from the look.

*What "look" are you talking about, Michelangelo? The only organism capable of optimally designing a declining tree is the tree itself. So many tree guys want to build trees into vaulted cathedrals, with a clear view to the ceiling. Healthy elms used to do this--have they imprinted the "ideal" tree shape into our psyches? Live oaks do not--very different, as you pointed out...

As for owner preference, the largo client trusted the cutter who gutted her tree with the "stormproofing" BS; she gave no aesthetic or any directions except health mtc. Yes sprouts can become good branches, ropen--we gotta think in tree time, beyond the paycheck.

 

[ropensaddle]

Yes sprouts can become good branches, ropen--we gotta think in tree time, beyond the paycheck.

I Do practice that thinking on all my trims but as I have said I fail sometimes by not accurately reading the tree. I just finished a tree I did not feel too proud of it was a very large lightning struck Quecus alba and probably wont make it. I only removed hazardous fully
dead limbs but the whole crown has chlorosis and does not look good. I told the customer I would probably end up back to remove it but we will wait and see. I also told him to limit the dozers that are clearing the land next to this huge tree and to place some mulch and water if we enter drought. I would like to aerate the compacted soil site then mulch myself but he is stretched out with the construction in the area tree is 46"dbh hate to see it go! I at least gave it a chance but feel more should have been done. I would really need to do a lot of pro bono in Ar to give care the way some of these trees need.