Winter is a great time to prune trees that are dormant, particularly young trees. From an Arborist’s perspective, a few quick cuts when a tree is young can create the desired structure of the tree and prevent major pruning wounds many years later.
The results of poor pruning, at any age, remain with a tree its entire life, creating structural defects and inherent hazards.
For most trees a single, dominant, central leader is desirable.
Unfortunately many trees, especially Silver Maple, are famous for developing two leaders (or more) that need to be properly pruned. These leaders compete for dominance which results in significant structural weakness and storm susceptibility.
Co-dominant leaders will most often have what’s called Included Bark.
Included Bark is where critical, connective tissue is not present and the joint becomes prone to failure. As you can see, it is very difficult and undesirable to remove one of the competing leaders in a mature tree.
The winter is also an ideal time for pruning mature deciduous trees and ornamentals.
With the leaves gone, the Arborist has a clearer picture of the tree’s structure for determining what cuts to make. You’d be amazed what a full canopy of leaves can hide!
Pruning is just one component of ArborTech’s Plant Health Care (PHC) program that is designed around your landscape’s tree and shrub care needs. Our program takes a proactive approach to caring for your trees and shrubs which in the long run, saves you money. To learn more about this PHC program click here, or call (413) 525-0060 to schedule an appointment for a free consultation. Let’s avoid having the conversation that begins with “it’s too late to do anything now, but….”