How NOT to Prune Live BranchesBelow are examples of flush cuts, torn bark, and nicked adjacent branches, all of which challenge the tree's "sealing" mechanisms and cause additional stress. Remember - trees don't heal - they seal! How to Properly Prune Live Branches
Cut in Three Steps
Check your Work The quality of pruning cuts can be evaluated by examining pruning wounds after one growing season. A concentric ring of woundwood will form from proper pruning cuts (Fig. 6B). Flush cuts made inside the branch bark ridge or branch collar, result in pronounced development of woundwood on the sides of the pruning wounds with very little woundwood forming on the top or bottom (Fig. 7D). As described above, stub cuts result in the death of the remaining branch and woundwood forms around the base from stem tissues (Fig. 7E). Cuts that HARM
13 Comments
11/1/2018 07:37:30 pm
I just moved into a house that has a lot of trees. It is good to know that I need to do a good job pruning the trees because it could cause my trees to die if I do it wrong. It seems like it would be best for me to get a professional to do the pruning for me.
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1/28/2019 11:35:32 am
HI Penelope Smith,
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9/24/2019 05:07:23 am
Owning a tree service, we spend a lot of time looking at trees, even when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the road
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9/25/2019 10:18:11 am
HI Penelope Smith,
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10/3/2019 02:00:38 pm
Owning a tree service, we spend a lot of time looking at trees, even when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the roa
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11/7/2019 05:13:27 pm
To find the proper place to cut a branch, look for the branch collar that grows from the stem tissue at the underside of the base of the branch (Fig. 6A). On the upper surface, there is usually a branch bark ridge that runs (more or less) parallel to the branch angle, along the stem of the tree. A proper pruning cut does not damage either the branch bark ridge or the branch collar.
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11/8/2019 06:50:36 am
when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the road.
Reply
11/30/2019 02:04:51 pm
Owning a tree service, we spend a lot of time looking at trees, even when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the road.
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3/17/2020 02:59:24 am
A proper cut begins just outside the branch bark ridge and angles down away from the stem of the tree, avoiding injury to the branch collar (Fig. 6B). Make the cut as close as possible to the stem in the branch axil, but outside the branch bark ridge, so that stem tissue is not injured and the wound can seal in the shortest time possible. If the cut is too far from the stem, leaving a branch stub, the branch tissue usually dies and woundwood forms from the stem tissue. Wound closure is delayed because the woundwood must seal over the stub that was left.
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3/28/2020 06:41:25 pm
Flush cuts made inside the branch bark ridge or branch collar, result in pronounced development of woundwood on the sides of the pruning wounds with very little woundwood forming on the top or bottom (Fig. 7D). As described above, stub cuts result in the death of the remaining branch and woundwood forms around the base from stem tissues
Reply
3/28/2020 06:42:46 pm
Owning a tree service, we spend a lot of time looking at trees, even when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the road.
Reply
4/27/2020 12:41:07 pm
Owning a tree service, we spend a lot of time looking at trees, even when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the road.
Reply
2/20/2021 06:37:28 pm
Great post - good info and accurate, thanks for sharing
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AuthorAmy Grewe, Certified Arborist & Co-Owner Categories
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