Pruning is a delicate balance meant to promote proper growth, maintain the tree’s health, and ensure it meets its objective.
Pruning Cuts to Avoid Here are the most common mistakes and what to do instead Hasty decisions and a lack of knowledge can have drastic long-term consequences on the health of a tree. Before you resort to topping or lion's tailing, chances are there’s a better solution.
By Veronica Sparks
allow additional light to filter through the canopy.
A fundamental aspect of tree care, pruning is both an art and a science. When done correctly, pruning has the power to enhance a tree’s struc- tural integrity, appearance, and overall vitality. But even seasoned arborists can make mistakes that can harm the trees they intend to nurture. Ready to explore the top pruning mistakes in the tree care industry? Here’s why it’s critical to make cuts wisely, the consequences of a bad cut, and correct techniques to ensure healthy, thriving trees. WHY THE RIGHT CUT MATTERS Pruning is a delicate balance meant to promote proper growth, maintain the tree’s health, and ensure it meets its objective. This means cuts should be made with both intention and caution. There are four methods of pruning, according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 document: Cleaning Dead, diseased, or hazardous branch- es are pruned to improve the health of a tree and to reduce the risk of accidents. Thinning Balancing the tree’s branches to prevent future leaning or tree instability and to
Raising Pruning for clearance by removing overhanging branches that obstruct roads, walk- ways, and sightlines, or pose safety hazards. Reduction Pruning to reduce the tree’s height or spread. No matter what the reason is for pruning a particular tree, the right cut is the key to a safe and healthy tree that meets its objective. FOLLOWING NATURE Pruning should address any present issues while keeping the tree’s structure as close as possible to its natural state, according to Dane Buell, past chairman of the ANSI A300 committee. Understanding how trees grow in nature, pre- serving leader branches, and anticipating how a tree’s growth will respond to pruning is essen- tial for making the right cuts. “You’re going to mirror how that tree would grow in the forest and improve its structure and sus- tainability,” Buell says. “Trees that grow in urban landscapes are not the same as trees that grow in the forest, so you’re mirroring what would hap- pen in nature to give that tree a better structure.”
28 | ArborTIMES Winter 2024
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