How NOT to prune a tree

Every workday I pass these poor trees. I want to weep. Plantwoman, you taught me well.

The lake? Well, we are in a drought here. But also, this is an irrigation lake and it is usually dry in the winter. So when the winds blow, all the silt in the bottom of the lake blows into those high dollar homes you can barely see on the opposite shore. Too much development. I want to weep.