Pruning trees

Many people do not realize that winter is an excellent time to prune trees.  I had a crab apple that was getting too close to the front of the house and a Ginko that hadn't been pruned since it was planted over a decade ago.  The Ginko had been very stunted by poor soil conditions in the nursery and hadn't grown much before or the first few years after planting.  A bit of compost and better drainage finally helped it take off.  The poor Ginko was over-run by a weedy mulberry and half of it didn't develop because of shading on the south side of the tree.  I gave it a year to recover and find the light before climbing up there tonight and giving it balance.  So much of the tree was over the yard and all the energy was heading north and west.  I watched it this summer and determined what was going to need work come winter.
After a little bit of ground work of deciding what should stay and what should go, I climbed up into the tree with my ARS saw and Felco pruner.  These are two of the best pruning tools I have ever owned professionally and for home.  My goal was to get a central leader going in the tree again and provide balance to the long shaded crown.

Starting from the top of the picture, I established a new leader on the tree.  I noted this summer what was dead up there and what my best option was to go with. The next several cuts were to remove branches where multiple branches were coming from the same point on the trunk.  I was also choosing to remove branches that were reaching up to my new leader and competing with it for top position in the crown.  The third type of cuts I made were to head back some of the other competing branches that were somewhat smaller but also competing.  There were too many branches to remove completely for competition reasons, so heading them back to an outward bound side branch will buy me some time while the tree reestablishes the new central leader.  The lowest cuts were to provide clearance over the shed.  I also cut off any inner branches growing straight up into the tree and crossing with other branches.

When I was done, you can now look up into the tree and see that the branches now balance out over the entire circumference of the trunk.  Number one was my heading cut to establish a new leader.  2 and 4 are cuts to remove the excess number of branches originating for the same point. (#2 is a cut which I should have taken back a bit more to reduce the stub effect you can see).  #3 is a heading cut which is on a side branch to keep it from competing with my new leader.  #5 is the cut which raised the lowest branch up from the shed.
Ginko trees tend to have more branches at a whorl (a point at the same height on the trunk, think Christmas trees) so eliminating the multiple branch cluster is not the ultimate goal.  Directional pruning to encourage outward growth is a plus with them as they can have kind of twisted branches which want to head up through the center.  Get to know your trees by species so you know what to expect when pruning.  


Here is the best diagram you can have to understand the proper pruning cuts.  Doing a 3 step cut will help keep you from tearing bark down the trunk when taking off heavier branches.  It is a good practice for ones you may also consider small branches.  Never make flush cuts!  These will not heal well because you have removed the branch collar which helps the branch cut close over the pruning wound.  Study up on pruning before you take the saw outdoors and start hacking away.  

Coutesy of West Texas Forestry Council

I will end the Pruning 101 session here as there can be more said than time allows.  I am a gardener, but I am an Urban Forester first.  If you are not up to pruning your own trees or don't have the equipment to do it, hire a trained arborist.  There are plenty of people with a chain saw and truck that can give you a bid on pruning.  It is the trained arborist that will know what needs to be done and the best way to do it.  Certified arborist can be found through the International Society of Arboriculture.  One job you should NEVER do on your own is anything around electrical wires including cable and phone.  Always call your local power company first.