Winter Pruning Tips - Shade Trees

Now that winter is here there is a limited amount of outdoor work we can do so we'll spend a little time talking about dormant season pruning. This week let's take a look at what we need to do to protect our investment in shade trees. When trees are planted in the proper location and are well maintained they provide huge benefits to property owners. They provide the following:

Topped Tree

  • increased property values
  • reduced energy costs
  • a better environment for living, cool shade
  • a better habitat for wildlife
  • improve the beauty of our surroundings all year long

These things are true ONLY when our trees remain in good condition. Developing the basic scaffold branching and other key structural items is important when trees are trained and properly pruned at a young age. If large shade trees are not maintained or are butchered, like a lot of them are by "topping", they can become a major liability and very costly to remove.

Properly Pruned

Two of the photos included here show examples of properly and poorly pruned shade trees. The tree with the open branching has been thinned out and allows wind to blow through the tree without damaging large limbs and provides filtered sunlight through the canopy for plants that are growing nearby while providing a great environment for the people living there. The photo of the tree that has been "topped" has many "suckers", several dead "stubs" that will provide entry points for disease or decay to enter and later insects and the eventual weakening of the tree. When younger trees are pruned be sure to remove lower branches that will interfere with movement around the tree and become head bumpers. Remember, lower branches should be removed when the branches are small because they do not rise above the ground as the tree grows, they must be removed. If these lower branches are not removed at a fairly early stage this can be a big problem. When low crotches are allowed to develop this can severely weaken the tree and cause a major "split" in the trunk. Never leave any stubs as shown on the tree in figure 3, again, these stubs die and become entry points for disease and decay.

Stubs Should Be Removed

The dormant season, like we are in now, is a good time to prune your shade trees so they are ready to grow in the spring, in all the right places. Pruning smaller trees can be done by the homeowner when basic guidelines are followed. Larger trees will require a certified arborist to take care of the pruning that is required.

For more info and the basics of pruning shade trees go to http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6866 or https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000595_Rep617.pdf.

You may send an email to info@meadowview.com with your question or comments.


30 years of Growing
Meadow View Growers
New Carlisle, OH
www.meadowview.com

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