Corona's Principles of Pruning How to Guide

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TREE PRUNING METHODS

Proper pruning is an art based on scientiﬁc principles of plant physiology. At its most ba-

sic level, pruning trees involves removing damaged, dead or structurally weak limbs,

which will improve a tree’s health and reduce the chances of personal or property

damage caused by falling limbs. More advanced pruning methods aid in improving the tree’s

structure and long-term health.

There are four basic methods for tree pruning:

Clean

Selective pruning to remove one or more of the fol-

lowing parts: dead, diseased, and/or broken branch-

es. This type of pruning is done to reduce the risk of

branches falling from the tree and to reduce the move-

ment of decay, insects and diseases from dead or dy-

ing branches into the rest of the tree. Cleaning is the

preferred pruning method for mature trees because it

does not remove live branches unnecessarily.

Thin

Selective pruning to reduce density of live branches.

Thinning trees reduces the density at the edge of the

crown, not the interior, which increases sunlight pene-

tration and air movement.

Raise

Selective pruning to provide vertical clearance. Crown

raising shortens or removes lower branches of a tree

to provide clearance for buildings, signs, vehicles, pe-

destrians, and vistas.

Reduce

Selective pruning to decrease height and/or spread.

This type of pruning is done to minimize risk of failure,

to reduce height or spread, for utility line clearance,

to clear vegetation from buildings or other structures,

or to improve the appearance of the plant. Not all tree

and shrub species can tolerate reduction pruning, so

the species and plant health should be considered.

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