What are the types of Tree Pruning?

It’s important to distinguish between different types of tree trimming and pruning, for the sake of your trees’ overall health and beauty.

Most people already have a preconceived idea about what pruning is, and what it’s for. However, your aim for pruning may be entirely different than your neighbor’s.

Because of this, we’ve compiled a short list of pruning terms and terminology to help you understand and determine your pruning goals.

The following four areas are how we classify our recommendations to customers based on their needs.

 

Deadwood Pruning

Deadwood pruning is the removal of dead, decaying, and diseased branches or limbs from a tree.

This is the most basic form of pruning, but also the most underutilized. We believe deadwood pruning is essential for optimal tree health and safety. In the tree care industry, it’s known as “crown cleaning.”

Dead or dying branches will break and fall at some point; there are no ‘ifs’ about that fact. So, it’s important you call a tree specialist to safely remove these branches to protect your trees. Removing diseased branches will also help stop further decay, so that you don’t need to entirely remove the tree down the road.

Thinning

Thinning is a type of pruning that aims to open up a young tree’s canopy by strategically removing branches throughout the crown. It’s important to move any weak branches that won’t support a good structure. This is known as “crown thinning.”

Some of the benefits of this method are: improving air flow and circulation throughout the canopy, as well as improving light penetration. With an open canopy, trees will enjoy additional sunlight as well as plants nearby and around them. Thinning is a method best utilized when trees are still young and forming.

Raising

“Crown Raising” is a method we use to raise the position of the tree canopy to provide clearance for pedestrians, traffic, structures, or any other important feature. This can be done by strategically removing lower limbs and branches that obstruct an object.

If not properly pruned, a heavy mid-canopy can interfere with power lines or other important infrastructure. Neglecting the removal of low branches when a tree is still young, could negatively affect the tree’s health once the limbs mature. The ultimate goal of this method is to promote trees that grow in harmony with their landscape.

Reduction

A crown reduction is a pruning technique that removes excess weight from branch ends, bringing them back to a healthy growing, lateral branch. The goal is to remove any extraordinarily long and overextended branches, as well as any branches with significant defects.

Crown reductions can help prevent major damage to a tree in ice or wind storms, balance the crown, and promote new growth in a declining tree. Crown reductions help prolong the life of a tree, in order to avoid the removal of a mature tree.

In Conclusion

At Lafayette Tree Co, we have years of experience performing a multitude of pruning techniques. We specialize in crown cleaning, thinning, raising, and reductions. Just give us a call if you are interested in preserving your trees with pruning! And the best part about it is that we team up with cutting edge tree companies around the world to learn new techniques and give you the best experience possible!