What it involves
After a tree is topped or broken, it sends up a crowd of fast, weakly attached shoots (see the glossary on water sprouts). Restoration picks a few of the best-placed shoots to become the new main branches and shortens or removes the rest, a little at a time, rather than all at once.
It is slow on purpose. Removing too much in one visit would stress the tree again. Several visits across two or more years are typical in the pruning literature, and the tree never quite returns to the form it had before.
Why it matters in Northern Nevada
Heavy wet snow, Washoe Zephyr winds and a long history of topping on older lots leave a lot of trees here with broken or stubbed crowns. Shoots grown from stubs are attached only to the outer layer of wood, and they can break out in the next storm. Restoration is the way to make that regrowth safe rather than leaving it to grow into a hazard over a roof. See why topping is not pruning and storm and snow-load breakage.
What an arborist does about it
The certified arborist first asks whether the tree is worth restoring: how much sound trunk remains, whether there is decay behind the old cuts, and what is under it. If the answer is yes, the plan lists which shoots stay and what the next visit will do. If the trunk is hollow or the tree stands over a house, removal is the more honest answer. Pruning to ANSI A300 practice is the standard the work follows. Call 775.232.8243 to arrange an arborist consultation; there is no charge for an estimate.
Expect the first visit to look modest. Restoration is a plan spread across seasons, and the tree will still look uneven for a while. The aim is a crown that holds up in the next snow, not one that looks finished.
Sources
- International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good: Pruning Your Trees (read October 17, 2026)
- International Society of Arboriculture, Trees Are Good: Pruning Mature Trees (brochure) (read October 17, 2026)