Question
Hello, I work in a group gardening situation at my church. We have a mugo
pine that has gotten a bit big for its location -but nothing terrible. It's maybe
6' tall. Well, one of the gardeners went at it with a saw and trimmed all the
lower branches off the bush. So, the bottom half has no branches with
needles on it. The bush looks shockingly naked. Will the needles grow back?
Is there anything that should be done for the tree? My big concern is that the
central trunk is now exposed to the elements - like our brutal winters! Help!

Answer
The lower limbs will not grow back. You will just have to wait until the tree grows taller and then it will fill out minus the lower limbs. I would not worry about the trunk be exposed to the "elements' The pruning of the lower limbs will not cause health problems for the tree just make it look un aesthetic for awhile.