The Autumn List, and Two Cuts That Look Alike

Quick answer: Cambria Tree Care Blog — Pruning is a plan before it is a cut: deadwood and broken limbs first, then clearance from roofs, wires and paths, then the structure the tree will carry for the next decade. The right cut heals and the wrong one invites decay, which is why the order matters more than the number of cuts.

• Typical timing: Structural work in the dormant months, light clearance and deadwood any time the tree is not under stress.
• What it involves: Removing dead and crossing limbs, thinning to let light through, lifting low limbs for clearance, and never topping a tree.
• The standard: The ANSI A300 pruning standard as applied by ISA-certified arborists — including the three-cut method on every limb worth saving.
• Where we work: Cambria, San Simeon, Cayucos, Morro Bay, Los Osos and the towns between.
• Our own record: 503 pages and 291 stories published on this site. Counted from our own archive, not a stock table.

Field note. What we see on this coast is a pruning calendar that does not match the inland one: salt air, fog and wind mean a cut that would be minor in the valley can be the one that opens a crown to decay here, so we look at the species and the exposure before the season.

On the other hand, not every tree wants to be pruned: leaving a healthy canopy alone is a decision that pays, and a tree with plenty of space is often better served by doing nothing.