Client told me my pruning cuts were too aggressive, here's what I fixed

Had a homeowner in Boulder call me out last spring for butchering her old oak. She said I was leaving stubs and cutting too close to the branch collar, basically wounding the tree. I was always in a hurry to get the job done, thinking speed mattered more. She showed me a video from some arborist course and I realized she was right - my cuts were leaving the tree open to rot. Now I take my time with every cut, making sure I angle it right and don't leave any stubs. That one piece of feedback changed how I do every single tree I work on now. Anyone else had a customer teach them something important about their own work?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_johnson7517h ago

Damn, that's a solid story. I had a customer call me out once for rushing through brake jobs and not torquing lug nuts to spec, and it honestly stung but she was totally right. That one piece of feedback made me slow down and double check everything, and now my work is way cleaner and safer for it.

amyr5717h ago

Three kids at home so I get why speed seemed important but that tree needed you to slow down.