Municipal crews have to manage thousands of trees with very little time and money. A fast flush cut gets the job done and removes the hazard, even if @wren652 doesn't like how it looks. Isn't public safety more important than perfect tree biology?

Backup light dying is the worst. I test primary and both backups before every night job. Check beam, strobe, and run them for a minute. Spare batteries in a waterproof case are key.

Honestly I've never liked that test light trick for grounds... it tells you there's a problem but you're still just guessing at how bad it is. A cheap multimeter set to volts gives you a real number, like 0.5 volts drop instead of a dim glow. That number tells you if the fix actually worked or if you just made it a little better. I've cleaned up a bad ground only to have the issue come back months later because I didn't know the actual resistance. With a meter you know for sure.