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Safety should always be a first consideration! Look for power lines
and other hazards before deciding to prune.
Before you cut the first limb, you must first decide why, where, and
how.
Why prune?
Safety, form, function, clearance, and fruiting may be some important
considerations. Several objectives may be achieved in a single pruning,
such as removing broken branches for safety and lower limbs for sight
clearance. The benefit of your objective must outweigh the damage of
creating wounds where you prune limbs. Trees do not heal, but rather
seal off wounds.
Limbs pruned at the proper location and in the proper
manner will allow the wound to seal more successfully. Do not paint or
apply any covering to a wound, the tree will seal over with sap and new
wood if you allow it to. Live Oaks, Red Oaks, Water Oaks, and Shumard
Oaks should have wounds covered with an approved tree wound product to
prevent possible infection from Oak Wilt disease.
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Where should we prune?
Select appropriate limbs to remove that both satisfy the objective for pruning and retain the basic shape and balance of the tree. Do not top trees. Do not remove any more than 25% of the canopy in any one year. Plan to create mature tree form with several small steps. To remove limbs, target pruning (removing the branch at a node just outside the collar) is recommended as shown in the diagram below.
How should
trees be pruned?
Limbs less than three inches in diameter that are within reach
of the ground may be pruned with loppers or a saw, larger and
higher limbs should be removed by a professional with
appropriate equipment and insurance.
back to Tree Care
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