Pruning Techniques for the Autumn Season
/As we touched on last month, fall is a great time to prune your trees.
“Pruning is an important maintenance practice for tree care. Start with corrective pruning to remove any broken, damaged or dead branches, or suckers that sprout from the base of the tree.” (Purdue University)
While pruning is a common tree maintenance task, it is not one that should be taken lightly. It is important to remember that each cut that is made to a tree can potentially change its future growth.
Pruning Techniques
Specific types of pruning may be necessary to maintain a mature tree in a healthy, safe, and attractive condition.
Cleaning is the removal of dead, dying, diseased, weakly attached, and low-vigor branches from the crown of a tree.
Raising removes the lower branches from a tree to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, and vistas.
Reduction reduces the size of a tree, often for utility line clearance. Reducing a tree’s height or spread is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to secondary branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles (at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem). Compared to topping, reduction helps maintain the tree’s form and structural integrity.
Reducing density of foliage at the crown periphery, thinning, is sometimes performed to increase wind or light penetration for aesthetic reasons and to promote interior foliage development.
Proper pruning of trees and shrubs requires an understanding of tree species, knowledge of best practices for pruning, and a commitment to ongoing education. That is why it is always best to consult with a trusted arborist.
Browning Tree Service employs Joshua Browning ISA certified arborist license #KY-9849A who is a proud member of Indiana Arborist Association and International Society of Arboriculture, serving the West Lafayette and Lafayette, Indiana area!
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