I have a Canary Island Date Palm with an 8' high beautiful pine cone looking stem. Some of the "stubs" which create the pine cone look are starting to rot and have fallen off and others are becoming hollow. Personally I like to leave things as natural as possible, but I am beginning to get concerned that our wet weather (SW of Houston) is creating a situation where the old frond stubs should be removed. (Because they could get water logged, harbour insects or other pests) I have seen examples in high end homes and malls where the stems have been "skinned", and just have the pine cone look near the growing fronds. Do they use a special tool? Would this be logical for my situation? Can you do it yourself? Would it be healthy for my tree? We usually just trim off the old fronds with an electric chain saw on a pole. Grateful for any insight.