I’m a home inspector, and while trees aren’t necessarily really part of a typical inspection, if I can provide value to somebody with anything that’s on the property, then I will include it in my report.
The house I’m inspecting on the day after Christmas (yay!) is a flipper special. Just wanted to make sure that I’m not wrong in thinking that these cuts on this magnolia are all pretty terrible and are going to cause problems with the tree in the long-term.
My man is to recommend an arborist check the tree as well as any others on the property unless you guys tell me that I’m crazy.
by Sherifftruman
7 Comments
Yes. The main issue is that it looks like it was significantly overpruned by a non-professional and there is some some damage on the trunk. The improper cuts (leaving the stubs) looks worse than it is and could be easily fixed.
At best the tree will never look the same again (and it’s indicative of the care put into other areas of the house/property). At worst, this will significantly stress the tree and has opened the door for pests/pathogens which could cause the tree to enter a death spiral.
Recommend the buyer get a Tree Risk Assessment from an ISA Certified Arborist with TRAQ.
Everything in terms of these poor cuts looks correctable. It’s less likely foliage will grow back to fill in the void created.
Structurally, independent of the poor pruning, this tree has a major risk of failure from the poorly attached dual trunk slowly pushing each other apart as they grow. The hollow spot directly below that point of attachment is even more concerning because that further impacts the integrity of those competing trunks.
All very easy to tidy up to an appropriate point/collar.
Bad is an understatement. Can be corrected.
It looks like they pruned that tree with a sledge hammer
The very lowest ones look acceptable enough, but every single other one needs to be taken back to the branch collar. Like everyone is saying it’s all correctable.