Tree pruning is essential for long-term maintenance. Pruning, when done correctly, can greatly enhance the health, beauty and safety of your trees. When done improperly, however, tree trimming and pruning can jeopardize the long-term health, beauty and safety of your tree.
Tree pruning is the art and science of limb removal. Pruning is used to mitigate risks, encourage strong form, clear structures and right-of-ways, and to remove the 4 D’s; dead, dying, damaged and diseased limbs. Each cut the arborist makes should serve a specific purpose. Otherwise limbs should be left alone.
Only Certified Arborists following proper pruning practices should prune your trees. Certified Arborists are familiar with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) tree care and safety standards (A300 and Z133.1).
The most common pruning approaches practiced by Levy Tree Care are:
- Fruit Tree Pruning – whether you have an old, beloved tree, a new-ish tree, or want to plant a brand new fruit tree, Levy Tree Care can help. Louise has keen interest and skill in caring for old and new fruit trees alike, and looks to time-tested methods popular both here and abroad to guide her fruit tree pruning approaches.
- Formative (Structural) Pruning – Selective pruning to improve tree and branch structure, primarily on young and medium-aged trees.
- Cleaning – Selective pruning to remove one or more of the following parts: dead, diseased, dying and/or broken branches.
- Raising – Selective pruning to provide vertical clearance.
- Reducing – Selective pruning to decrease height and/or spread (consideration must be given to the ability of a species to tolerate this type of pruning).