Go ahead, Tear me apart....

[NickfromWI]

Note: This was posted originally at Treeebuzz, but I thought it would be good here, too!

Ok gentlemen, and ladies if there are any out there. I being not as experienced as many of you (though I am educated...and though that might not be better than experience, I'm young and it's a good start!), am thinking that it'd be a good idea for me to share with you the general rules I follow when pruning a tree. I want you to tear them apart in a non-insultery manner, of course. But if something sound wrong, let me know. Also, these rules do not take into account exceptions...like when a customer asks to have something raises, or leaving two rubbing branches if they are huge a play an important part in the over all structure of the tree, etc. There may be other rules, but I couldn't think of them at the moment. So here they are, my Ten Commandments.



1- All dead branches are bad and should be removed. Do not cut into live wood when removing deadwood.
2- As a general rule a tree’s shape should be appealing to the eye. There should be a balance of density of the branches.
3- Tree’s should never be shortened (topped)
4- When working in a tree that has quite a few suckers, don’t remove all of them.
5- Do not gut out a tree. I see this one a lot around here, the tree’s end up looking like a balloon. If you stand at the base of the tree and look up, you see no leaves until you get to the tips of the branches. I think a lot of guys to this because it is a way to take a lot out of the tree to make the customer feel like they are getting their money’s worth. Work the tips.
6- Honestly, I don’t know the why, but I know basically how and that I should be making proper cuts. Don’t leave stubs, don’t flush cut. I’ve been trained on the hows, but not the whys.
7- Something to bear in mind: the position of the sun…open up the sunny side of the tree a tad so more sun can get inside to those inner branches and leaves.
8- Let the tree maintain it’s natural shape. Don’t raise it (remove the lower branches) just so it has a more defined trunk.
9- No lion’s tailing. This goes along with #5. If a main branch has 3 others growing off of it, each a bit further out, maybe take the middle one and not the first one. I was told that a limb with branches evenly spaced along its length grows in a taper and thus, is stronger. Lion’s tailed branches grow straighter and are thus weaker. Don’t contribute to the likelihood of the wind snapping off a branch.
10- Branches should not rub against each other. Stop it when it happens. Better yet, stop it before it happens.

Whattya think?

love
nick

 

[Treeman14]

OK, Nick, you asked for it, so I'll toss in my two cents. Or sense. Or maybe scents.

While its tempting to make a list of hard, fast rules for pruning, keep in mind that every tree and every situation is unique. Let's see if I can systematically tear apart your list:

1. What if the tip of a branch is dead, but its still alive further back toward the trunk. Do you stub it?
2. And who's eye are we appealing to?
3. Never say never.
4. OK, I agree, but WHY are there a lot of suckers? Previous overthinning? Stress?
5. Can't argue with that one.
6. Read Shigo and Harris. You need to know WHY you're doing what you're doing.
7. Why. Those inner leaves have adapted to the level of light they receive. Don't try to second guess Mother Nature. (See #4)
8. I'm all for natural shapes.
9. Same as #5.
10. Most times, yes.

Next.

 

[treeclimber165]

I've always tried to follow one simple rule when pruning: I better have a darn good reason for every cut and the positives should outweigh the negatives. Brett's advice about not second guessing Mother Nature is a good one. I heartily resist whacking off perfectly healthy limbs for no other reason than 'I think the tree would look better without it'. I already make too many unneccessary cuts in order to appease the person writing the check. Poorly trained trimmers cut more than well trained trimmers because it is easier to remove a limb than work around it. As a result, most customers want to see evidence of limb removal in order to see that they got their tree trimmed.

Understanding WHY we cut at branch collars is also important. Understanding this makes it easier to estimate where a cut should be made when there is no obvious collar (heading cuts to redirect growth away from an obstacle, for instance).

 

[Stumper]

Not too shabby Nick but....
#3.- While "hatracking" a tree is a terrible thing to do to a healthy specimen, saying "Never shorten a tree" is going too far. There are sometimes valid reasons for reducing a tree's height and there are ways to do so that are consistent with maintaining the tree's health.

I don't agree with #7. The tree has adapted to a certain light level-don't mess with it more than normal pruning already does.

#9 IS redundant since you are talking about the same prob as#5. but I agree that lion'stailing is awful both aesthetically and from a health perspective.

#8-No big disagreement, but I think a small amount of pruning for clearance can enhance the appearance without harming the tree's health. We've hashed this one out on the forum-I'm not talking about extremes rather, training a tree to work in the landscape.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Nick,

1- All dead branches are bad and should be removed. Do not cut into live wood
when removing deadwood.
* I've read some reports that show that there are some beneficial microorganisms that live on dead limbs. We don't know all about trees yet to make a blanket statement about deadwood. That said, I generally remove any dead wood in residential trees.
2- As a general rule a tree’s shape should be appealing to the eye. There should
be a balance of density of the branches.

* This comes close to the line of sculpting trees. go back and read Joyce Kilmer's poem "Trees". Unless we're working with trees in sculpture gardens we should let the tree direct our pruning. Balancing trees is too artificial.
3- Tree’s should never be shortened (topped)
* Have your read Ed Gilman's "Pruning" book? You should be familiar with the practice of subordination. Also, there is good research that's been done in Germany that has shown some benefits to lowering the top of trees to lower their bending moment. Be careful about making blanket statements.

5- Do not gut out a tree. I see this one a lot around here, the tree’s end up
looking like a balloon. If you stand at the base of the tree and look up, you see no
leaves until you get to the tips of the branches. I think a lot of guys to this
because it is a way to take a lot out of the tree to make the customer feel like
they are getting their money’s worth. Work the tips.
* Progressive climbers spend 80% of their time working the outer third of the tree's crown.

7- Something to bear in mind: the position of the sun…open up the sunny side of
the tree a tad so more sun can get inside to those inner branches and leaves.

* Nope! Again, research has shown that the leaves that are in the best position to photosynthsize do just that. Also, the leaves grow in patterns that maximize the amount of sun they can absorb. Opening up the tree can lead to sun scald and a reduction in the photosynthetic mass of the tree.

10- Branches should not rub against each other. Stop it when it happens. Better
yet, stop it before it happens.

* After disecting many rubbing branches I'm less likely to abide by this statement. Balancing the loss of foliage and storage capacity against another wound generally shows that rubbers can stay.

Tom

 

[tshanefreeman]

I'm simply going to focus on #7.

Trees grow to optimize their limited growing conditions. We've all seen trees that have formed reaction wood to redirect growth around light limiting factors, the formation of watersprouts to compensate for a reduction in photosynthetic foliage, or aggressive roots that continually search for scarce amounts of water. Even though there may not be any concrete evidence stating that trees (higher plants) have a defined growth pattern, we do know that there is a functionality for their structure.

I've read that thinning the crown of a tree can actually cause more longitudinal stress to the trunk than a tree with a dense cast of foliage. Leaves of a tree can actually direct prevailing winds through their formation of an aerodynamic structure. The leaves form a near-impermeable barrier to the strong winds and thus divert it around the perimeter. Once the crown is opened the wind enters the center of the tree causing a ballooning effect. Picture high velocity winds entering a paracute.............what happens..........the air speed is reduced. But the kinetic energy of the wind has to go somewhere and unfortunately for the tree, the trunk is the route of transferral to the roots and finally the surrounding soil. The greater the ballooning resistence the more stress on the tree. And if the tree is hazardous to begin with, say due to a frost crack or root decay, the homeowner could be in for a large liability issue. The tree also benefits by limiting moisture loss through the stomata by having reduced wind velocities in the inner layers of foliage. In times of drought, aiding in the reduction of total transpiration can be extremely benefical. With all the exterior stresses that today's urban trees are faced with, the limitation of a few can make a significant difference in the long run.

Therefore, one should really think twice before simply cutting/pruning to better the photosynthetic ability of the sub-canopy leaves. If the leaves are there and are a lush, green color, they are doing there job...........making due with the filtered light that reaches them. Therefore, project your efforts to deadwooding and structural pruning..........you know, whatever the situation prescribes!

 

[Crispin Hoar]

Whenever you do an amputation you had better have a damb good reason! Are you a surgion or Hollywood plastic surgion? Who is your patient the tree or the person with the money? I hope this isn't too harsh. This is a great question to post for all to think about.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Many of the issues I had have been addressed so here are a few I have

On trees with heavy loads of deadwood, I've noticed that a complere crown clean will drasticly alter the bending moment in the limbs and stems. The tree has developed with all this mass dampening, leaving little caliper growth to support the increased movement. 2 genus that come to mind are elms and honeylocust.

Topping no, reductions sometimes.

Balance is an aestheitc red herring and an excuse to cut wood. Yes if the client desires it, it should be done, but it is something that should be acheived ofer time. More of a direction to go then an end result for the day. Reduction of vigorouse low branches and such, but we need to be careful that we dont remove to much, causing adventicouse sprouting.

#11 guage your work by the canopy, not the brushpile.