Pruning is an imperative tree maintenance procedure. Pruning young trees is one of the surefire ways to encourage healthy, strong branching structure, which greatly improves a tree’s chances of staying structurally sound. Unlike forest trees, landscape trees need a higher level of care to maintain structural integrity and aesthetics.
Anytime is the best time to remove broken, diseased, or damaged wood, but structural pruning is best done in the dormant season (roughly December to mid-March). When leaves are down from deciduous trees, you can see and evaluate the tree’s structure.
Structural pruning is essential in developing a tree with a strong structure and desirable form. Trees that receive the appropriate pruning while young will require less corrective pruning as they mature.
Remember that each cut has the potential to change the growth of the tree, therefore it is important to set an objective for why the tree will be pruned. For young trees the objective is to improve tree structure. Poor pruning can cause damage the tree must grow over causing the wound to stay within the tree forever.
While online resources and how-to videos are terrific, they are no replacement for the knowledge and expertise of an arborist. Pruning must be done with an understanding of tree biology because improper pruning can create lasting damage or shorten the tree’s life. By pruning you’re setting up a tree for success, so it is not a practice you want to leave to chance or amateurs. As dormant season approaches, now is the time to get your pruning set up.
If you have a young established tree you’re worried about or you think needs structural pruning, hire Casey Trees and we will send one of our Certified Arborists to take a look. All you need to do is fill out an inquiry at caseytrees.org/consult and we’ll be in touch. We typically respond to these requests based on our current capacity.
Wish you had a tree on your property to prune? Through our Residential Planting programs you can get a tree planted in your yard for free.
