T & T Tree Service was pruning a large Norway Maple for the Newtown Presbyterian Church in Newtown, PA. The center leader of the tree was somewhat decayed. The plan was to remove it. The arborist/climber took a minute to examine the hole. To his surprise, it was home to an Eastern Screech Owl.
The owl was nesting quietly, likely scared due to the noise. As we were pruning the tree, out flew the owl to a nearby tree. It waited patiently until we completed the work. As we drove off, the Owl headed back to its home.
The proper pruning technique would have been to remove the hollow center leader. T&T left that section in-tact and removed the remaining dead branches preserving the Owl’s home. The big picture is stewardship. When you have arborists that care, we train and inform our climbers how to preserve habitats for wildlife and still make the tree safer.
