Question
Hi Jim,
Thanks for volunteering your expertise.  A few years ago an "expert arborist" did a hatchet job on my big, beautiful old oak tree.  I won't go into detail about what the tree butcher did, but the two lowest limbs are on the right and left sides of the tree, with the next level of limbs a good 10 ft higher.  Both limbs are in full leaf at the ends, and the right limb has sprouted considerable new growth along its length.  The left limb remains bare, and I want to know whether it's true that distressing the bark can sometimes stimulate new growth. A local tree guy told me it doesn't work, but the alternative is cutting off both of those big limbs, giving me an unobstructed view of the neighbor's house which I'd like to avoid.  Thanks for anything you can suggest.

Answer
I would check to see if the bare branch is still alive. Scrap a small bit of bark off near the end of the branch and if the color under the bark is green the branch is still alive But if the color is brown the branch is dead at that point of the branch. If brown continue down the branch scraping at intervals until you find green or reach the trunk. If you find green prune off the branch where it is dead and it may resprout. The other limb that has foliage is ok and just let it grow.

I would agree distressing the bark will not help. I would fertilize the tree with 10-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 lb per inch of trunk diameter scattered around the tree and watered in good. Apply just before a rain storm and you will not need to water. This will increase the root growth and in turn the foliage growth.