This will reduce the risk of the branch tearing down the stem and leaving an unsightly and potentially damaging wound the final pruning cut can then be made at the branch bark ridge and branch collar. To remove the branch, a sequence of step cuts should be made with a shallow cut being made first on the underside leading to a top cut outside i.e. To keep the wound as small as possible, the British Standard for tree work (BS 3998: 2010 Tree Work – Recommendations) states that the diameter of the final cut should not exceed one third of that of the parent branch or stem. This attachment point will sometimes exhibit a strip of raised bark known as a ‘branch bark ridge’ on the top and sides of the branch and a ‘branch collar’, which is the area around the base of the branch. As the tree produces an annual ring of growth, so does the branch, strengthening the attachment of the branch to the tree.
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A list of Arboricultural Association ARB Approved Contractors is available on our web site at Figure 1 – Optimum position of the final pruning cut How to prune a treeīranches were once buds that became twigs, and over time and incremental growth, have gone on to form a branch. It is very important to realise however, that the removal of tree branches can be a dangerous process and the safest option, particularly if the branch cannot be reached from the ground, is to employ a suitable trained and insured arborist (also known as a tree surgeon).
If the questions above can be answered with a “No” then the removal of the branch can proceed. Care must be taken however, as removing too big a branch can lead to disease entering the tree via the wound/s left behind, or reduce the vitality of tree due to the excessive volume of leaf bearing material being removed.īefore any branch is removed the following questions should be asked: What will be the result of removing this branch? Will it leave a large wound? Will it remove a large area of leaf bearing material? Will it leave the tree open to an increased risk of disease? These reasons could include improving the structure of the tree, to remove dangerous or defective branches the reduction of shading, the reduction of wind loading or to provide clearance between the tree and a structure – to name just a few.
There are many reasons why trees might need pruning. The minerals, along with the sugars produced via photosynthesis, are used to produce the flower and subsequently fruit to advance the next generation of trees. The tree roots absorb water and other essential nutrients and minerals from the soil, which are then transported to the leaves via tubular vessels called xylem.
The sugars produced are transported throughout the tree via the inner bark area, known as the phloem, to where they are required sugars not immediately required are stored within the trunk, branches and rooting system. Through the process of photosynthesis the tree converts carbon from the atmosphere into sugars, which it uses to make the building blocks of cellulose and lignin required to sustain its self-supporting structure. An appreciation of the processes involved in the growth of tree will help us to understand the principles behind pruning.Ī tree is a dynamic living organism that has a self-supporting woody stem. Before we discuss pruning, we need to consider what a tree is and how it works.
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