Pruning

Pruning is the most common tree maintenance procedure. Forest trees grow quite well with little or no pruning, but in landscape situations, tree pruning is often desirable or necessary to remove dead branches, improve tree structure, enhance vigor, or maintain safety.

Pruning Young Trees

Structural pruning principles are used when pruning young trees or a tree that has not been pruned in many years. If young trees are "trained" or pruned to promote good structure, they will likely remain serviceable in the landscape for more years than trees that have not been so pruned. Defects can be removed, a single, dominant leader can be selected, and branches can be well spaced along the main trunk. These trees have a lower potential for structural failure at maturity and require less maintenance later on. Small-maturing ornamental trees can be trained to several trunks, or pruned to develop only one.

Pruning Mature Trees

There are a number of factors Greenkeeper considers when pruning mature trees. These include the site; time of year; and the species, size, growth habit, vitality, and maturity of the tree. The amount of live tissue that should be removed depends on the tree size, species, and age, as well as the pruning objectives. In mature trees, the removal of diseased, broken, or dead branches encourages proper wound closure which is crucial to preventing decay-producing fungi from penetrating and infecting other areas of the tree.

Greenkeeper Pruning Techniques

The arborists at Greenkeeper utilize a variety of pruning techniques, depending on the objectives:

• Crown cleaning is the selective removal of dead, diseased, broken, or weakly attached branches from a tree crown. This is the most common pruning technique for landscape trees. Regular pruning should correct small growth problems before they have a chance to become large problems.

• Crown thinning includes crown cleaning as well as selective removal of branches to increase light penetration and air movement through the crown, and to reduce weight. Increased light and air stimulates and maintains interior foliage growth. Thinning toward the tips of a branch may reduce the wind-sail effect of foliar clumps in the crown, and relieve the weight of heavy limbs.

• Crown raising removes the lower branches of a tree in order to provide clearance for buildings, signs, vehicles, pedestrians, and vistas. Excessive removal of lower limbs should be avoided so that the structural stability of the tree is maintained.

• Vista Pruning is the selective removal or reduction of scaffold limbs to allow a specific view from a predetermined point.

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To learn more about Greenkeeper's tree pruning service and how it can help improve the health and beauty of your landscape, contact us online or call Greenkeeper today.