Hot take: Mature oaks don't need pruning as often as we think they do

I was reading through some research from the Morton Arboretum last month and found out that mature oaks actually heal slower from cuts compared to younger trees. Apparently every major pruning wound can reduce their lifespan by 10-15 years (which is wild when you think about how old they get). Has anyone else here scaled back their pruning cycles on established oaks after learning something similar?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.sean14d agoMost Upvoted

Holy crap, 10-15 years per cut?! That's insane. I had no idea it was that bad. I've been telling my neighbor to stop hacking at his old oak every spring and now I got some real ammo to back it up. Makes you wonder how many of those big old trees we see around town have been slowly killed by well meaning people with pruners.

olivia_morgan814d ago

And that's exactly why I stopped letting my landscaper touch my maple, poor guy probably thought he was helping.