枝 and 葉: changes to branches and leaves
Identify plant parts and distinguish what fell from what remains.
A branch's location
枝 (えだ) means branch. 「枝に鳥が止まっています」 describes a bird perched on a branch.
「長い枝を切りました」 means cutting a long branch. Do not expand it into cutting down the whole tree.
The appearance of leaves
葉 (は) means leaf. 「葉が黄色くなりました」 says leaves turned yellow.
「葉の裏を見ました」 means looking at the underside of a leaf. The noun before 裏 identifies whose reverse side is meant.
Whole and remaining parts
「葉は落ちましたが、枝は残っています」 says leaves fell but branches remain. The two parts have different states.
「枝の先に小さな葉があります」 locates a small leaf at the tip of a branch. 先 identifies a spatial end, not a future time.
Does 「長い枝を切りました」 say the whole tree was cut down?
Show the answer and why
No. The stated cutting target is a long branch.