Pruning

**1. Pruning Techniques:**
– Pruning landscape and amenity trees
– Deadwooding
– Crown and canopy thinning
– Crown canopy lifting

**2. Branch Union Types:**
– Pruning at a branch collar
– Pruning at a collarless union
– Pruning a co-dominant stem
– Target cutting for union types
– Importance of proper cutting for regrowth and decay prevention

**3. Specialized Pruning Techniques:**
– Directional or formative pruning
– Vista pruning for enhancing views
– Crown reduction for tree height and spread
– Pollarding as a regular pruning practice
– Importance of starting pollarding on juvenile trees

**4. Canopy Management:**
– Crown and canopy thinning benefits
– Crown canopy lifting purpose
– Factors to consider in crown lifting
– Implications of excessive branch removal
– Alternative solutions to crown lifting for tree health

**5. Tools and Cuts:**
– Types of Pruning Tools: Hand pruners, loppers, chainsaws, bush saws, motorized bush saws, Billhooks, pruning knives
– Types of Pruning Cuts: Heading back, thinning out cuts, topping, raising, reduction
– Orchard Pruning Techniques: Lopping, planned pruning regimes, deadheading, maintenance, smaller trees for easy fruit picking

**6. Time Period for Pruning:**
– Dead wood and small branches can be pruned year-round
– Pruning timing for temperate plants
– Pruning timing for bleeding plants like mesquite
– Pruning timing for early-flowering plants
– Avoiding autumn pruning in temperate regions for disease prevention

**7. Bibliography:**
– Sunset Editors, (1995) Western Garden Book
– James, N. D. G, The arboriculturalists companion, second edition 1990
– Shigo, A, 1991, Modern arboriculture, third printing
– J.M. Dunn, C.J. Atkinson, N.A. Hipps, 2002, Effects of canopy manipulations on leaf water use
– British standards 3998:1989, Recommendations for Tree Work