Blog by Brenda Altman
Trees are pruned for many reasons. Sometimes they are pruned to remove crowding or competing branches, which open up the canopy; other times they are pruned for safety reasons, a branch may be too low, or they might be trimmed for ornamental or aesthetic reasons. I cannot figure out why these trees were pruned so severely. I remembered they were very leafy and had very thick, crowding branches. Now they have no branches and no leaves, just a skeleton of two trees.
This pruning has many problems: Will the tree grow back? How long will it take? How will the loss of shade affect heat in the summer? Will there be less water intake, and how does this affect property values?
These trees were pruned in early October, about six weeks or so before they would have lost their foliage and gone into dormancy. Prior to dormancy, the tree sends chemical signals to stop producing chlorophyll and direct energy to storing glucose in the roots, trunk and branches. In this case, the trees never stored excess energy for winter dormancy. Recovery will be difficult because there is little stored energy. The signal will go out to the roots, send energy to produce more leaves now! We need more leaves NOW! Perhaps the trees can respond and produce a flourish of weak green growth on the tips of the ends of the cuts. But that will not be enough for the trees to recover.
The loss of shade will cost the homeowner in cooling this coming summer. Mature trees can cool a site up to 10 degrees F. The trees also sequestered CO2 and gave off O2. The trees' leaves also captured soot and road dust; they, too, are gone. Traffic noise will be more apparent because the tree leaves absorbed sound.
The trees utilized a lot of water. Where will this water go? Will there be excess water on the property? “Watering up” is to describe the rise of the water table when trees are removed from the environment. This excess water, coupled with heavy seasonal rain, could be a problem, perhaps even affecting the soil, making it less stable.
What is the property value of two skeletal trees in your front yard? Would the real estate description be as follows: “Two beautiful art deco trees surround the property with this beautiful, cute, little one-of-a-kind house.”
When thinking about pruning mature trees for whatever reason, always consult a certified arborist. Here is a link on how to do just that: https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2011-03/80089.pdf. Don’t rely on Mr. Chainsaw and a truck to solve your problem. Sure, you might get some growth back, but you have basically destroyed the tree. The municipality has pruning standards that should be followed. Some cities require permits to prune trees. Here, pruning could have been delayed after dormancy, and then only pruning of no more than 25% of the canopy should be removed. Property value decreases because a new buyer would have to deal with the eventual removal of these trees.
References:
“What does a tree think of pruning?” Purdue University, https://www.extension.purdue.edu
“How to calculate the value of a Tree” https://www.treeplanting.com
“Watering-up: Studies of Ground water rising after trees cut” by Stephane Dube and Andre Plamondon, NorthAssocAdmin https://www.northassoc.org
“The Power of One Tree” https: //dnr.wisconsin.gov