The True Cost of Cheap Tree Work

Why thoughtful pruning is an art- and why your trees deserve it.

There’s an old saying: “The trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”

It reminds us that good things- healthy things- take time, care, and skill.

When we quote for tree work, we try to bring this philosophy to our customers. We don’t just list a price; we show you what will be done, share photos from similar jobs, and explain why proper pruning matters. Trees aren’t fence posts or furniture. They’re living organisms that respond slowly and silently to every cut we make.

We on the odd occasion receive the message:

“We’ve decided to go with a cheaper quote.”

And while we understand budgets, the outcome often tells a larger story.

The Difference Between Cutting and Crafting

Our approach, shaped by arboricultural training and long-term thinking, versus the faster, cheaper alternative- two completely different worlds.

Think of it like bonsai.

A bonsai artist doesn’t simply “cut branches.” They study angles, future growth, balance, and the tree’s natural form. Every cut is a conversation with the tree. A cheap cut, by contrast, is a monologue- quick, harsh, and with no thought for what the tree will say back in the years to come.

When Poor Practice Costs More Than Money

Unfortunately, the work the customer received in this picture was exactly what we had warned about.

The tree now looks unnatural, heavy in the wrong places, and vulnerable in the right ones. But beyond appearance, the deeper problem is biological:

• Improper cuts invite decay, opening the tree to rot and disease.

• Stress triggers epicormic growth, those frantic shoots a tree sends out in panic.

• This forces a costly pruning cycle—not once every few years, but regularly, to keep the tree safe.

Sustainable Care Is Long-Term Care

If we care about sustainability- and many people do, even if they don’t call it that- then the long-term health of a tree is part of that ethic. A well-pruned tree stores more carbon, provides more shade, supports more wildlife, and stands stronger for decades. A poorly pruned tree, on the other hand, becomes a liability that may need constant intervention or even removal long before its time.

In the picture, you can see the story already written in the wood.

The tree was previouslylopped or topped a harsh treatment that trees rarely forget. Those large, flat wounds don’t just disappear- they become part of the tree’s history, part of its burden.

This visit is now our second time managing the epicormic growth that burst out as a result of that earlier stress. When a tree is topped, it responds the only way it knows how: by throwing out shoots in desperation, trying to replace the crown it suddenly lost.

But here is the delicate part:

If we take too much off again, the tree may panic once more, producing even more rapid, weak regrowth.

If we take too little, we fail to guide it toward stability.

So we work in balance, encouraging new leaders, supporting internal structure, and slowly guiding the tree back to a form that can sustain itself. One day, with patience and careful shaping, we hope to be able to prune back to proper growth points, restoring something closer to the tree’s natural architecture.

In this latest pruning, you’ll notice we’ve left a soft, natural edge- no harsh lines, no abrupt cuts. This is intentional. It helps the tree move toward a healthier silhouette while reducing the shock of sudden removal.

Those large pruning wounds will always be part of its structure. Our role now is to help the tree live well with them- to support strength, encourage good growth, and prevent the cycle of stress from repeating.