There exists a narrowly defined “right way” to prune a tree. Conversely and unfortunately there is a very broad definition to the “wrong way” to prune a tree.
Ultimately each time a tree is pruned it creates a wound. Pruning should really only be done when necessary to avoid excessive damage to the tree.
- Identify the reason why a branch needs to be pruned;
- Is it dead, diseased, dying, or going to cause significant issue in the future?
- Determine how it needs to be removed;
- Is it large enough that it needs to be removed in more than one piece?
- Make your undercut to prevent tearout or peeling
- Ensure you’re not completely severing the branch at this point
- Make your top cut and remove the majority of the branch
- Ensure it is completely removed
- Make your finishing cut outside the branch collar or where it would be expected to form
- This is critical to ensuring that the wound has a good chance of closing and CODIT can occur