Colbyt wrote:
I had to take a slightly larger limb than I prefer to cut off a tree
in my yard today. A six inch limb at a major fork. If it was not at
a fork I would not be concerned. The tree is fairly young, planted 15
years ago as 1.5" caliper. Some named variety of Honey Locust.

I left a nice collar but I wonder if I might not be better off to
make it a bit smaller so it can heal better.

Did you *cut* at the collar or do you mean you left a stub?

A fork is where it *should* be cut; a mid-branch will never heal.
Unfortunately, most people - including pros - butcher trees when they trim.

When cutting, you need to determine the location of the "collar" between
limb and trunk. That location can be difficult to spot sometimes, depending
on type of tree, but it is where the bark direction changes from vertical on
the trunk to sideways at the limb. You need to cut just above the collar so
that the cambium layer from the trunk can overgrow the cut. Here's a link
to a photo (red = collar, blue = cut line)...
http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto...ines3_Full.jpg

and to the article.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4712042_cut-tree-limbs.html

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico