Hello everyone,
I’m looking at buying a house that has a fairly large tree in the backyard, which was one of the big draws for me. However, when I went to see the property, I noticed the tree had been heavily pruned compared to the photos in the listing.
The realtor couldn’t tell me much about why it was pruned, just that “it should be fine and recover without issues… but if it does die, you can remove it yourself or hire someone for a few thousand.”
I know the only way to get a reliable answer is to have an arborist inspect it in person, but I’d love to hear some opinions from people here. Based on your experience, what are the chances of recovery for a tree that’s been pruned heavily?
To my untrained eye, the tree still looks sturdy and strong, and I’d really like to keep it if possible.
Thanks in advance!
by Time_Travel_Pizza
7 Comments
Why would anyone do this to a tree?
Is the Realtor getting more than a few thousand? This is cavalier.
That tree wont last. Even if it looks healthy, trees can live off stored energy for quite a while. Id recommend trying to get the seller to take off the price for the removal
Between what happened to the tree and what the realtor said, everything was wrong. It looks like it stands before a forest or something. Why even bother butchering it
That tree will not recover, Pinaceae cannot regrow from cut stems – only the living green branches will continue to grow and they are all at horrible angles. Had it been a broad leaf tree, there would be some chance that the central trunk would send out new shoots, though it would still be structurally unsound. That large, heavy branch which is now exposed to additional wind stress will crash down at some point, probably not in the first year, but I’d be concerned every time there’s a storm forecast.
I know we’re always going on about “we need to see the tree in person to make a diagnosis” in this sub. But in this case this is clearly a goner. You can’t just do that to this tree and expect it to live. Have them remove it fully as a condition of sale.
There’s a reason you don’t hire realtors for tree care.
It won’t ever look normal and will likely need to come down.
Take it off the sale price.