Watched a guy in Fresno prune a mature sycamore with a chainsaw and no undercut, and I still think about it

Jordan Ramirez · 2026-10-12T01:20:04.169714+00:00

I was doing a consult two blocks off Van Ness last month and the homeowner proudly showed me how they'd "saved money" by letting their landscaper thin the canopy on a 40 foot sycamore. Every single cut was a flush cut straight through the branch collar, no undercut, no hinge, just a saw bar buried in the trunk. Three of those limbs tore bark 18 inches down the main stem and that's where the rot is going to start. Anyone else seeing landscapers undercut arborists on pruning jobs, and how are you explaining collar cuts to clients who think all saws are the same?

Topic Shares

Loading…

Watched a guy in Fresno prune a mature sycamore with a chainsaw and no undercut, and I still think about it | Arborists - Topic Shares