How to prune a treeDesign by Andrea DeLong-Amaya • Photos by In Churl Yo
Adapted from Native Plants Magazine Winter 2003 VOL. 20, NO. 2.
Collect the tools you will need, including saw, loppers, gloves, and eye protection.
Remove small branches from the tree's larger limb to diminish its weight and surface area.
Make an undercut about six inches away from the tree's main trunk. Cut one-third of the way through the limb from below.
Make a severance cut from above to match the outer side of the undercut, about six inches away from the tree's main trunk.
Make a clean cut just outside of the branch collar, the swollen part at the base of the limb as it attaches to the main trunk.
Use pruning paint if the tree is susceptible to attack by tree-boring insects.