That moment I realized my pruning cuts were way too close to the branch collar

I was trimming a big maple in a client's yard near Portland last month and noticed a whole section of bark peeling back on a limb I'd cut. Turns out I was making flush cuts right up against the trunk, thinking that's what looked cleanest. What's the standard rule of thumb you guys use for keeping that collar intact without leaving too much stub?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_singh872mo ago

Branch collar is your friend. Leave it alone and cut just outside it.

oliver_ward142mo ago

Man I've been there, felt that sick feeling when the bark starts lifting like a bad sunburn. Now I just aim for that little angled cut right at the collar's edge and resist the urge to make it pretty.