Creating an Objective: Some of the most common objectives are listed below.
- Improve structure/health
- Improve health by establishing a structural pruning program to young trees 15’ or less on the property. Structural pruning of young trees is the best way to ensure and improve the serviceable lifespan of trees on your property.
- Provide a view
- A view can be created or enhanced through crown reduction where the edge of the crown at the top of the tree is reduced or by elevation pruning where lower branches of the crown are removed.
- Provide clearance
- Growth can be directed away from buildings lights or parking areas. This is the most commonly request pruning item and will need to be repeated as the tree will grow back to fill the void created by pruning.
- Reduce risk of failure
- Risk of tree failure can be reduced by identifying and rectifying hazard conditions such in bark, dead or broken branches or large scaffold limbs. Mature trees need to be monitored to manage these risks. Recommendations will depend on the specific tree.
Types of Pruning
You may have noted several pruning terms listed in the description above. Your proposal should speak in these terms, beware of specs that simply state ‘Pruning’ We use the following terms in our proposals as they are recognized tree standards supported by the International Society of Arboriculture and the American National Standards Institute[ANSI]
| Remove Deadwood | Crown Cleaning | Crown Thinning | Crown Reduction | Crown Raising | Structural Pruning |
| Dead limbs exceeding 1″ in caliper will be removed in order to eliminate a possible hazard to underlying targets. | A light pruning of thinning or lateral cuts to selectively remove dead, broken, crossing, injured, co-dominant or diseased branches will reduce the movement of decay, insects and diseases from dead or dying branches. | Selective removal of live branches to reduce crown density. | Lateral or drop-crotch cuts to reduce the breadth of the canopy or decrease the height and/or breadth of a tree. | Selective removal of branches to provide vertical clearance above walkways, vehicles, signs, streets and vistas. | Removal of live branches to establish dominant central leader, influence spacing, growth rate, strength of attachment and size of branches. |
When encouraging the healthy growth of your trees and plants it is important for you or your contractor to follow the American National tandards for Pruning (ANSI 300). Read more to see these standards and to get other hints! You should not be confused by the terminology that your contractors use. Be Pragmatic and ask Pointed Questions! Be sure they follow the appropriate terminology and have thoroughly trained staff. Your contractor will know when the best time to prune each specific plant is.
We welcome all calls to your Blade Runners Account Manager should you have any questions!
