(I'm the author.) I really like trees! So I wouldn't have wanted to cut it down or even prune it.
Also, I hate operational (ongoing) solutions to problems. Pruning it would have been exactly that kind of solution -- we'd have had to prune it regularly or else it would have kept being a problem every so often.
The hardware fix was easier: our equipment was already a bit old and slow, the upgrade fixed the rain problem while also making it faster, and it's not something we've had to tweak since. I've long since moved out, but my parents still use that same 802.11n bridge today!
