Reasons for pruning trees and shrubs include safety, health and aesthetics. When pruning young trees, the emphasis should be on producing a strong structure, setting the plant for a long healthy lifetime. Mature trees are pruned for maintaining structure, form, health and appearance.

ArborScape understands that not two trees grow exactly alike. Their individual growing conditions will vary. There are no cookie cutter recipes to tree pruning. Each tree species, condition and growth is different. Using National Tree Care Standards, local practices based on research from Colorado State University and continuing education, ArborScape is determined to provide our clients an individual program for their tree's safety and health needs. These include:

Pruing for safety involves the removal of branches that could fall and cause injury or damage to property, including dead, dying and broken branches. Sometimes live branches that interfere with line of sight on streets, driveways and sidewalks need to be removed. Low growing branches interfering with the traveled protion of vehicles and pedestrian traffic areas are included in the types of pruning. Safety pruning can also include the select removal of branches growing into, over and under structures, reducing building maintenance costs.

Pruning for health involves the removal of diseased or insect infested branches, thinning the crown to increase airflow and reduce disease problems, and the removal of crossing and rubbing branches as well as low growing temporary branches. Pruning is the best method to encourage trees to develop a strong structure and help reduce the likelihood of storm damage during the high winds and heavy snow loads in our climate.

Pruning for aesthetics enhances the natural form and character of trees. This type of pruning, tied together with other management tools, can assist tree planted in areas too small for mature growth, or trees whose growth has been affected by past environmental events, become a valuable part of your landscape.

Types of Pruning: Terminology used in our program

Pruning for Structure (Structure Pruning)

Structural pruning is the removal of live branches and stems to influence the orientation, spacing, growth rate, strength of attachment, and ultimate size of branches and stems. Structural pruning is used on young and medium sized trees to help engineer a sustainable trunk and branch attachment.

Pruning to Clean (Crown Cleaning)

Cleaning is the selective removal of dead, diseased, detached and broken branches. Cleaning is used to reduce the risk of branches falling from the tree and to reduce the movement of decay, insects, and diseases form dead or dying branches from the rest of the tree.

Pruning to Raise (Crown Raising)

Raising is the selective removal of branches to provide vertical clearance. Crown raising shortens or removes lower branches of a tree to provide clearances for buildings, signs, vehicles, pedestrians and vistas.

Pruning to Thin (Crown Thinning)

Thinning is the selective removing of small live branches to reduce crown density. Because the majority of small branches are at the outside edge of the crown, thinning is focused on that area. Proper thinning is focused on that area. Proper thinning retains crown shape and should provide even distribution of foliage thoughout the crown.

Pruning to Reduce (Crown Reduction)

Reduction is the selective removal of branches and stems to decrease the height and/or spread of a tree or shrub. This type of pruning is done to minimize the risk of failure, to reduce the height or spread, for utility clearance, to clear vegetation from buildings or other structures, or to improve the appearance of the plant.

Removal

Removal is the cutting off of all above ground parts of the plant, remove all debris from the site and grinding the stump to six (6) inches below grade. Remove all debris from the site and refill hole to two inches above grade.

Cutoff

Cutting off of all above ground parts of the tree and leaving the stump as close to grade as possible. Remove all debris from the site.