Hey thanks a lot for trying our game and for the very thorough feedback!
The reason why you don't get punished for not chopping is in the score design.
New step +1
Chop a branch +3
Considering the fact that the longer you play, the harder it becomes, then you want to try and chop down the branches as much as you can so that you can get a higher score before it becomes too hard to play.
Thanks again! I loved this super low resolution restriction :)