Abundant Tree Team

5 Different Methods For Pruning Trees

There are several methods to pruning trees.

It’s important to know the correct solution to ensure long life and health for your tree. Here we describe the services we offer to help you determine what might be best for your trees! We’re also happy to talk with you, inspect your trees and give you an estimate for our expert pruning services.

Raising

Raising means to “raise the crown” which basically means clearing some of the lower branches.To avoid leaving wounds or marks, regular raising of the canopy should occur on younger trees. The reason for raising is to accommodate more urban environments. It is generally implemented when tree limbs get in the way of structures or people.  The preferable clearance for structures is 10′-15′.

Reduction 

Reduction is a practice that focuses on the skillful and discriminate reduction of stems that may need to be cut back for several reasons. One of the practices we do NOT do is topping trees. When you top trees, you remove crucial branches or trunks that cause large wounds in the trees, leaving them open to decay. We want to respect the natural branching of a tree; to keep the beauty of a tree one should avoid topping.

Reduction requires in depth knowledge about how a tree grows back and which branches are necessary. We can preserve your tree’s natural form but perform the necessary cuts to keep your tree healthy and manageable.

Canopy Thinning 

This is often performed on trees that are overgrown.  Often, thinning is necessary for tree structural reasons.  Also, increased light penetration (to help your grass or other plants grow) is often a reason for such pruning. The best practice is to not remove more than 15%-20% of the foliage on the tree and one should only be cutting branches that are 2 inches thick.

Structural Pruning for Younger Trees 

This pruning practice is probably the most overlooked by clients and so-called tree care professionals.  Because most site conditions in an urban environment allow for more light to your tree than if if was in the forest, your tree grows much differently than its natural setting.  Proper structural growth for your tree from tree establishment is crucial for the health of your tree later in life, particularly in the context of storm damage prevention.

There are several steps to proper structural pruning including:

  • selecting the branch that will be the dominant trunk
  • identify branches that will be competing with the dominant trunk
  • removing or shortening the branches

Dead Wooding/Canopy cleaning 

This straightforward pruning practice removes all dangerous and aesthetically unpleasing dead wood from you tree.

Abundant Tree Care has the professionals and equipment needed to take care of those hard pruning jobs. We know trees! Call for an estimate.

Call Us Anytime with Tree or Shrub Questions (618) 202-4209

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