Pruning is the most common and influential tree maintenance procedure. The main objective of pruning is to keep the trees strong, healthy and attractive. In forest, trees grow naturally and quite good with only nature's pruning. However, in urban landscape environments, trees require a higher level of care to maintain their health, safety and aesthetics. Each kind of tree has its own characteristic shape or growth therefore trees tries to maintain that natural habit.
The word pruning sounds simple but proper procedures and principles should be followed. Improper pruning techniques can cause permanent damage to your tree or even worse, shorten the tree's life. To reduce the need for pruning it is best to consider a tree's natural form. It is very difficult to impose an unnatural form on a tree unless you commit to constant maintenance.
Reasons and Benefits of Tree Pruning
Safety, health, and aesthetics are the main reasons for pruning ornamental and shade trees.
Safety pruning can be avoided by carefully selecting the right tree species with the right combination of form, strength, and other characteristics, according to your need and by keeping in mind the site and space available.
Health pruning involves the removal of dead, diseased or insect-infested wood and reduce pest problems, increase airflow by thinning the crown and removing crossing or rubbing branches. Pruning can be used to encourage trees to develop a strong structure and reduce the likelihood of damage during severe weather. Removing broken or damaged limbs encourages wound closure and minimizes the risk of infection from insects and microorganisms.
Pruning for aesthetics involves enhancing the natural form and character of trees or stimulating flower and fruit production. Trees have many different forms, but the most common types are pyramidal or spherical. Conifers trees with pyramidal crowns have a strong central stem and lateral branches that are more or less horizontal and do not compete with the central stem for dominance. The trees with spherical crowns, e.g., most hardwoods, have many lateral branches that may compete for dominance and need more attention.
Vista pruning increases your landscapes value and enhances beauty by making visual access to rivers, lakes and valley. Vista pruning makes the most of surrounding views, while maintaining your privacy where desired.
Other types of pruning can be used according to your needs are Crown Thinning, Crown Raising, Crown Reduction.
Pruning Practices That Harm Trees
Topping and tipping are pruning practices that harm trees and should not be used. Crown reduction pruning is the preferred method to reduce the crown size or height of trees, however, this is rarely needed and should be avoided.
Topping is the pruning of large upright branches between nodes and is sometimes used to reduce the height of trees, whereas, tipping is the cutting of lateral branches between nodes to reduce crown width. These practices invariably result in the development of epicormic sprouts or death of the cut branch back to the next lateral branch below. These
epitomic sprouts are weakly attached and eventually will be supported by a decaying branch.
Improper pruning cuts cause unnecessary injury and bark ripping. Flush cuts injure stem tissues and can result in decay. Stub cuts delay wound closure and can provide entry to canker fungi that kill the cambium.
