Ask An Arborist Tree Pruning

Ask an Arborist: The ABC’s of Pruning

By Arbor Day Foundation | March 31, 2017

This is part three of a three-part dormant season pruning series. Catch up on part two, what are the rules of pruning  and watch part one, why do I need to prune.

Tree pruning, trimming, or cutting is an ongoing process throughout the life of your tree. After selecting the right tree and carefully planting it, early pruning is the most important thing you can do for a young tree. Pruning during dormancy is the most common practice.  It results in a vigorous burst of new growth in the spring. It is usually best to wait until the coldest part of winter has passed.

When pruning your trees, there are steps you can follow to ensure you are making the proper cuts and not removing too much off your tree.  Tree experts Andrew Pleninger and Chris Luley created The ABCs Field Guide to Young and Small Tree Pruning to help guide the pruning process. The rules of the ABC’s will tell you where to start, what branches to prune, and when you are finished. Follow these rules to help get you started on your tree pruning.

Step A: Assess the tree

  • How is the tree growing? Is it healthy?
  • What is the setting? Does human activity dictate a desired form for the tree?
  • What species is it? What is its natural form? Is it a ‘shade’ tree or ‘ornamental’ tree? This will dictate how you prune.

Step B: remove Bad branches

  • Start with the three ‘Ds’ – dead, damaged, and diseased.
  • Next, look for branches that are rubbing, or those weakly attached.
  • Look at the tree, and the pile of branches removed so far, if you haven’t reached any of the limits in the ‘five factors,’ continue.

Watch Rules of Pruning for the 5 Factors of Form and Function

 Step C: remove or reduce Competing branches

    • You identified the central leader in Step One; now we want to address any competing branches:
      • Co-dominant stems: it’s best to keep this cut as small as possible, so complete removal is usually best.
      • Competing laterals: these are branches that have a shoot headed upward at the same height as the leader.
    • Next, focus on areas where multiple branches connect to the trunk at the same place. Develop better branch spacing by removing one each year, starting with the largest one first.
    • Next, consider clearance: these temporary branches in the lower third of tree height improve trunk strength, but may need to be shortened.
    • Finally, consider crossing (not rubbing) branches or chances to improve vertical branch spacing. Every pruning cut is a new chance to observe the tree in light of the “five factors;” stop pruning when any of the factors are reached.

If we focus our pruning efforts strategically – with the right tools – we can develop long-lived urban trees. For  more pruning resources visit treesaregood.org or University of Florida IFAS Extension.

Have a tree question you want answered? Tweet @arborday with #AskAnArborist and one of our certified arborists will answer.

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  • Tree Pruning March 30, 2018 at 8:10 am

    Great article! Love the video also really gives a good visual of what to look for. Pruning trees can be very daunting, especially if you have never done it before. I always have the professionals come and do mine that way I know I don’t do any unnecessary harm.

    • Sheereen Othman August 24, 2018 at 4:29 pm

      Hope this makes it easier on you. 🙂

  • John M. Roberts May 2, 2018 at 2:10 am

    The proper caring of pruning trees is the very important to have take care, in a very delicate condition and these is the signs of the good condition of the trees. Thank you for sharing this article it was informative.

  • Tom Sheehan May 31, 2018 at 8:19 am

    Great info! I’ve never really thought of it in terms of the tree having a central leader or main branch that goes straight up that should be protected.

  • Taylor Anderson July 31, 2018 at 9:36 am

    It’s fascinating that a tree trimming is something that needs to be done throughout my tree’s life. I’ve also heard that growing multiple branches to compete for sunlight actually weakens the tree. My property has a giant tree, and I’ve been thinking about getting it pruned. Due to it’s height, I don’t feel safe pruning it myself. Do you have any tips for hiring a tree service to help me out?

    • Sheereen Othman August 10, 2018 at 10:28 am

      Hi Taylor,

      It’s great you’re looking for professional help in pruning your tree, always err on the side of safety. While we’re not familir with tree trimming services in the area, you can visit https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist to find a local arborist who can give you sound advice and may be able to direct you to a tree trimming service, or prune the tree themself.

  • Placerville Tree Service August 16, 2018 at 9:45 am

    Great article for upkeep on your tree services. Pruning can fall by the wayside for home owners and there is definitely a lot of upkeep when it comes to the care of our trees! I always advise my customers to seek out an arborist if any questions arise as an experts eye can save folks from a huge hassle!

  • Dylan Mort August 24, 2018 at 5:44 am

    I have enjoyed reading the information about tree pruning services. Really, entire discussion is more helpful and all the tips are more effective too. I am very glad to go through this kind of helpful article. Thanks for sharing a nice article.

    • Sheereen Othman August 24, 2018 at 4:27 pm

      Thanks for reading Dylan. Glad we could help 🙂

  • Dio Marsaille September 21, 2018 at 6:29 pm

    It really helped when you said that one of the factors that will determine how to prune the tree is whether it is a shade tree or an ornamental tree. To be honest, I really do not know if the tree in the yard is meant to be a shade tree since it never actually grew like one. Maybe an arborist can answer the question for me. I will hire one to prune the tree.

  • JD January 31, 2019 at 1:08 pm

    Great post about required tree maintenance. I also read recently that not all trees should be pruned at the same time of year. Evergreen trees should be pruned right before new growth begins so they aren’t damaged in winter, while other trees should be pruned at their most dormant state. Thank you for sharing

  • ed March 12, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    in Arizona – I would like to plant a few different fruit trees in high density back yard, so I want to cut them short, to encourage proper branch grow pattern but can I do it now, it seems that they are not dormant any longer in Arizona. Will I harm them, or will they recover?

  • Sandra Patterson April 18, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    Thank you for helping me understand what to look for when pruning trees. I recently moved to a house with an apple tree in the backyard, and it doesn’t look like it has been pruned in a very long time. I would like to try pruning for myself, but I think that I might just contact a professional that can do it better than I.

  • Jason May 14, 2019 at 7:31 am

    It was a nice knowing all this. High time I start following all this so that I can get the best results for myself. Other blogs are worth reading too.

  • Taylor Bishop May 14, 2019 at 7:35 am

    I wanted to thank you for helping me learn more about pruning. It’s interesting to learn that any co-dominant stems should cut as short as possible or completely removed. It sounds important to know what these stems look like so you know what stems you should keep and which ones you should remove.

  • Tree Services Columbus Ga October 24, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    Thank you for posting about how to prune. I have just opened a tree service business and this was very informative.

  • Angela Waterford November 6, 2019 at 9:08 am

    My sister told me that my pine tree looks overgrown and that it needs to be trimmed to maintain its health. It’s interesting to know that pruning during dormancy is a common practice that people do, and this might mean that my tree will be alright. I think I’ll need to hire a tree service company since most of its branches have become too tall for me to reach with a ladder.

  • Wade Joel November 11, 2019 at 11:16 am

    Thanks for this detailed guide on tree pruning. I didn’t know that it was recommended to cross branches to improve vertical branch spacing. I will be definitely considering these tips for the future, but right now I think to call a professional will be the best option because we want our house to be in perfect conditions for the Christmas dinner. I will make sure to keep this article handy!

  • Rod schmitz June 22, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    I was thinking of having some trees trimmed back and I’ve been told that you can’t cut more than about 25% of the canopy of the tree per year otherwise it may kill the tree ….does this sound correct? thank you Rod

    • Sheereen Othman June 26, 2020 at 9:23 am

      You shouldn’t remove more than 20% from the crown of the tree.

  • Elizabeth Anastasio September 1, 2020 at 10:15 am

    Hi! We would love to use this video, providing full credits to you, during a Bible study event tonight. Due to the times we are in we live stream our Bible Study on FB in order to reach our people that are unable to come in person. Will you allow us to use this video? Thanks so much!

    • Sheereen Othman September 9, 2020 at 10:48 am

      Hi Elizabeth, you’re free to use it.