Flush Cut
/FLUSH KUT/🌲 Arboriculture●● Intermediate
Also known as: improper cut
A pruning cut that removes a branch by cutting flush with the parent stem or trunk, thereby removing the branch collar — the swollen area at the base of the branch that contains specialised wound-sealing tissue. Flush cuts are considered malpractice in arboriculture because they create unnecessarily large wounds, remove the tree's ability to compartmentalise decay, and often lead to internal rot. Proper cuts preserve the branch collar.
Etymology
Old French flus (flowing, level) + Old English cutian (to cut)
Example
“This large decay cavity formed because the pruning cut was made flush with the trunk, removing the branch collar's wound-sealing tissue.”