| Pruning Young Trees | | | | leave a tree with poor cuts and damaged bark |
| Part 1: Understanding tree growth and structure | | | | and tissue. |
| Most of the trees that are planted in our urban | | | | For smaller branches hand pruners can take care |
| forests are grown from nurseries. Trees tend to | | | | of a good portion of pruning small trees. For larger |
| be pruned to remove lower branches and develop | | | | cuts loppers or pole pruners can be used. Hand |
| a full upper canopy. While this provides a great | | | | saws may be required for the largest cuts on a |
| looking tree it is not structurally the best design | | | | young tree. |
| for long term health and structure. In nature, | | | | Ladders are used to reach taller areas of the tree |
| trees have lots of lower branches as they | | | | where a pole pruner or pole saw cannot reach. |
| develop. These lower branches provide energy to | | | | Using ladders involves greater risks. Hundreds of |
| the lower trunk so that the diameter and | | | | homeowners are injured or killed each year using |
| strength of the trunk are greater. In addition, | | | | ladders to cut their trees. Understanding when to |
| nursery grown trees often have their tops tipped | | | | call a professional is important. Tree work is |
| back to encourage a fuller canopy. The problem | | | | inherently dangerous. Working at heights with |
| with tipping back the top is that it destroys the | | | | sharp tools is hazardous even for trained |
| central leader of the tree. The central leader is | | | | professionals. |
| important because it is the framework from | | | | When making a pruning cut it is important to |
| which the tree grows its main structure. Some | | | | establish the correct angle of the cut and the |
| trees naturally develop a more rounded form. For | | | | correct position of the cut. The angle should follow |
| these trees a central leader may not be | | | | the direction of the limb which is cut back to. The |
| appropriate but it is still important to have one | | | | position of the cut should be made beyond the |
| area of the tree that is dominant and to develop | | | | branch bark ridge to allow better wound closure. |
| a branch structure that will provide structural | | | | Flush cuts are not appropriate because they |
| support for the life of the tree. | | | | increase decay and delay callus formation at the |
| For our home landscape trees it is better to leave | | | | pruning location. Stubs should also be avoided |
| the lower branches on the tree. If the branches | | | | because they inhibit the trees ability to close over |
| impede walkways or sidewalks they can be | | | | the wound and encourage decay. |
| pruned back rather than removed. If you're | | | | Part 3: Five Steps to Training Young Trees: L.R. |
| purchasing a landscape tree it is better to choose | | | | Costello Arborist News December 1996 |
| one with one central leader rather than a tree | | | | 1. Remove broken, diseased, dying or dead |
| that has multiple trunks that all meet at one point | | | | branches |
| of attachment. These multi-trunked trees may | | | | 2. Select a leader and remove competing leaders |
| have failures as they mature. | | | | 3. Select the lowest permanent scaffold branch |
| It is also important to understand some basics on | | | | 4. Select scaffold branches and cut back or |
| how trees respond to pruning. The leaves of the | | | | remove competing branches |
| tree provide the food energy for the plant's | | | | 5. Select temporary branches below the lowest |
| survival. Pruning too much (more than 25% in one | | | | permanent branch |
| pruning season) can stress the tree. | | | | Part 4: Demonstration of Proper Pruning |
| Another important point to remember is avoiding | | | | Techniques |
| thinning out too much foliage from the interior as | | | | 1. Hands on examples of pruning young trees for |
| trees mature. This type of pruning is known as | | | | the first time. |
| "liontailing" where all the growth is left at the end | | | | 2. Identifying proper location for pruning cuts |
| of a limb like the tuft of fur on a lion's tail. | | | | 3. Identifying central leader |
| Liontailing reduces tree strength in two ways. First | | | | 4. How to reduce competing leaders |
| of all it removes branches along the limb that | | | | 5. How to develop proper radial and vertical |
| provide food energy and increase limb caliper. | | | | branch spacing |
| Secondly, it encourages too much weight at the | | | | 6. Pruning low branches and identifying lowest |
| end of the branch which contributes to limb | | | | permanent branch |
| failures. A better pruning choice is called "crown | | | | Part Five: Ten common tree mistakes and how to |
| shaping" which reduces the weight at the ends of | | | | avoid them |
| the branches for hazard reduction. It is important | | | | 1. Choosing the wrong tree for the location |
| to reduce limbs back to a lateral branch that is | | | | 2. Choosing an unsuitable tree for the climate |
| one third to one half the diameter of the limb. It's | | | | 3. Planting a root bound tree with girdling roots |
| important to choose a branch to cut back to that | | | | 4. Planting too deeply |
| follows the same growth direction of the limb you | | | | 5. Over-staking the tree |
| are cutting. | | | | 6. Not providing early training |
| Part 2: Choosing the proper tools for pruning and | | | | 7. Pruning trees incorrectly: Topping or Liontailing |
| making proper pruning cuts. | | | | for example |
| One of the most important factors in pruning is | | | | 8. Not providing adequate irrigation |
| having a sharp tool to work with. Dull pruners or | | | | 9. Injuring root zones through construction |
| saws make the job more difficult and will likely | | | | 10. |