My old foreman told me to quit flushing cuts on maples in August, took me 3 seasons to believe him

Anthony Hernandez · 2026-10-08T14:05:03.650567+00:00

Back when I was doing residential work around Sacramento, my foreman Ray kept telling me to hold off on heavy pruning cuts on maples during the hot months. I figured he was just old school and set in his ways, so I kept making big cuts on a silver maple in July anyway. That tree ended up with sunscald on the exposed trunk by late September, and the client called me back out twice. Three years later I finally listened and moved all major maple work to late winter, and the difference in wound closure was obvious. Ray passed in 2019 but I still text his daughter about how right he was. Anyone else had an old timer drop knowledge that took you years to actually put into practice?

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My old foreman told me to quit flushing cuts on maples in August, took me 3 seasons to believe him | Arborists - The Community Guide