To prune or, not to prune. That is the question

To prune or, not to prune. That is the question.

This week on the Arbor Ace Tree Care blog, we are going to discuss pruning. The why, the when and the how. This is a very important practice that can improve your trees’ longevity and ultimately the safety of those around them.

The reason why we prune tree is simple, they just keep growing! Very much like you getting your monthly hair cut, trees need bits removed as well (not just to look pretty and manageable again). Trees can become over grown, have dead parts or, break. We need to remove certain parts for safety, tree health and esthetics. As small, young trees we need to make sure they keep good structure. Sometimes nurseries miss trimming out rubbing/crossing branches, weakly attached branches or over crowding of branches. It is important to make sure these things are taken care of because it will become a major issue later on down the road in your trees’ life. In bigger trees it is important to remove the dead branches as they can break, causing damage to things (alive or not alive) and are unsightly.

The best time to rune your trees depends on species and where you live. Here in the UK it is best to prune our oaks and ash right now (October, November). This is because of the potential for pest and disease detection. It is easier for them to sink their claws in our tree with fresh, open wounds. Fruit trees like apple and cherry are best done before the spring flush. This practice will produce lovely, large fruit.  Sometimes we don’t really get a choice to prune trees. When big storms blow up the land, tree damage is sure to follow. If you spot damage in your trees following a storm it is best to call a accredited arborist to asses the damage and what further action should be taken.

If you’re wondering how exactly we carry out these tasks, you’re in luck! There is lot of choice when it comes to tools and techniques to prune trees. If it a stout fruit tree, we can use hand saws, snips and pole pruners to remove the material. If it is your great oak in your garden, a trained arborist will need to climb the tree using rope and harness technique to access the canopy of the tree. They may use a hand saw or chainsaw to remove the required branches in your tree. It is quite a thing to watch happen. I’ve been told it is like watching and aerial ballet.

I hope this sheds a bit more light on the subject of tree pruning for you. Next time on the Arbor Ace Tree Care blog, we will have a look at access techniques used by arborists to get up and into trees.