Q: I have an 8-year-old oak tree. It looks like it has a girdling root. Should we cut through the root in two places so it can be removed, or should we leave well enough alone. A: Definitely trim and ...

Incorrect pruning, particularly “topping,” is the surest way to ruin a tree. If it doesn’t kill the tree outright, it will result in extremely dense growth at the ends of the chopped-off branches.