The difference a year made on my mature red oak

I pruned this big red oak in my backyard about 14 months ago to open up the crown after noticing some dead branches rubbing together. This spring the leaf cover is way thicker and more even across the whole tree, and I haven't seen any more dieback on the lower limbs. Anyone else see a similar response after a good structural prune on an older tree?

2 comments

2 Comments

simons2819d ago

Funny you mention the timing, I heard something similar from a guy at the local extension office. He said red oaks especially have these buds that can stay alive under the bark for like 30 or 40 years just waiting for more light. Opening up the crown on an old tree like that basically wakes up all that old growth potential that's been sleeping. Sounds like your tree got the exact response they were talking about.

the_anthony19d ago

Funny timing on this post because I actually read something recently that most people overlook with older trees - it's not just the pruning that helps, it's the sudden shift in how much light gets through to the inner bark and encourages latent buds to wake up (especially on red oaks which are pretty stubborn about back-budding). That thicker leaf cover you're seeing is probably those old dormant buds finally getting their chance to grow after years of being shaded out, which means your tree isn't just recovering from dieback, it's actually starting to regenerate new wood from places that haven't had leaves in decades.