Question
Hello,

After reading your answer to a person owning a large mulberry tree, as well as reading "The Tree" from John Fowles and lastly revering all green stuff at large, I would like to request from you some help with two overgrown mulberry trees.
They line both sides of my house in the Westchester, NY area along with maple trees and Hemlocks,  growing laterally as well as in height, swamping driveway and its cars, garden patio and cooking station with mulberries each year more profusely, feeding all neighborhood birds which is great. But the stains resulting from both the falling fruits and the bird droppings are hardly manageable.
They have never been so healthy and I have never worked so hard at removing the fruits which in summer humidity becomes a foul smelling mess, needless to say!
Hiring an arborist, although most sensical measure, is a painfully expensive thing to do in an economy that has grieved budgets to nothing.
The 30'. (or more?) trees present three trunks 8 to 10 " in diameter, splitting into 8 approximately 4 to 5" trunks. They grow between a hemlock and a maple, hence their canopy grows in a rectangular manner, extending laterally at least 15' both sides.
I probably need to cut them down by 6 feet above the areas they are causing problems over. Is it a safe thing to do? Should I do this on both sides?
I very much appreciate your time in answering this question.

Best,
C.T.

Answer
I am not real sure I get what you are asking. IF you are wanting to cut the branches that over hang the patio to stop the berries from dropping on the patio than this would be fine. Just cut them back to the main trunk. Make the first cut about a foot or so from the trunk this will keep the large branch from splitting the bark on the trunk. Then cut the foot stub off about a 1/4 inch from the trunk. The wound will heal by itself. I would wait until the leaves have fallen to make the cuts this way the wound will not bleed as much. This may not keep the berries in the top of the tree from dropping on the patio but should keep most of them off. You can cut only one side but the tree will look lopsided but it will not effect the health of the tree. I hope this is what you are asking.