How to Prune a Tree (Part I) - Removing Dead Stubs

Everyone knows that trees need pruning; the question is, how do we prune correctly? That's what we're setting out to help you discover. Since there are so many different aspects of pruning, today we'll just talk about removing dead stubs.

We often see stubs when someone has simply cut tree limbs indiscriminately. That's pretty common, and besides looking bad, it's bad for the tree (more about that below). Sometimes a limb simply breaks because of wind, snow, or too much weight. Either way, the stub needs to be removed correctly.

Why are stubs so bad? If they aren't dead yet, they soon will be. And the stub will endanger the tree's health because it provides an opening for insects and fungi that will cause decay. You want to close that opening, and that's where pruning comes in.

Imagine that you have a cut on your arm. If a bone is sticking out (yuck!), then the cut will never heal. It will get infected, and who knows how bad it will get? But if the cut is clean, it will scab over, heal, and maybe not even leave a scar. It is very similar with trees. A clean cut will allow the bark to "scab" over and heal (see last photo below). But a stub is like an open wound. The tree will send resources to try to heal it, but it will never heal. Bad news for the tree.

So now that I've convinced you that stubs are bad, how exactly do you fix it? It's important to make your cut correctly. I've included an illustration here from the ISA website, TreesAreGood.com, to show you two different situations and two correct cuts:

To show you an actual ISA certified arborist in action, cutting a dead stub off an actual tree, I asked Martin Macauley (owner, Blooma Tree Experts LLC) to fix our neighbor's tree. Our neighbor was happy to oblige.

The first cut is made below (to prevent bark tearing), and the second cut is made above. The finished cut is close to the tree, and will allow the tree to heal the wound, as the last photo shows.

WARNING: If the stubs are higher than you can reach, please call a professional. Ladders are dangerous and climbing is dangerous--we want you safe! Call us at (206) 714-9835 for a free estimate on removing those stubs and any other tree work you need. We service the greater Seattle area.