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24 SPRING 2015 n ARBOR AGE www.arborage.com TRAINING & EDUCATION Pruning Basics The art and science of pruning the large, and small, woody friends that make up the tree care industry's reason for existence is a topic covered quite considerably in literature and other media, not to mention a wide variety of presentations, research, and training seminars. However, if more than one tree care professional is present when a pruning cut is made, most likely one will have a differing opinion from the other on the soundness and necessity of the cut. This is not to say that there is no defi nitively right and wrong way to prune a tree; rather it points out that pruning is both a science and an art, thereby requiring a mix of both in the aspiring pruner. While exhaustively covering all the styles, techniques, and scientifi c methods of pruning is far beyond the scope of this article, some discussion and illumination of basic goals, methods, and practices can assist new pruners, and even some grizzled old saw dogs, to start down the path to scientifi cally sound pruning artistry. n BY MICHAEL "HOUSE" TAIN RESOURCES As mentioned previously, there are many resources available on the practices, methods, and techniques of pruning. These range from print and electronic books to DVDs and even hands-on fi eld-based training. An excellent starting point, either for an individual arborist or for a company library, would be two manuals available from the International Society of Arboriculture: Best Management Practices-Tree Pruning and the ANSI A300 Pruning Standards. TOOLS Several different cutting tools are, or may be, applicable when pruning a tree, but the tools listed below are the most commonly used, and most appropriate, for making proper pruning cuts. Hand pruners: This tool is an excellent performer for making small pruning cuts, typically less than 1/2 inch despite the temptation to take on larger branches; and can be carried readily available in a scabbard secured either to the belt when afoot or harness when climbing. Hand pruners with a bypass blade are a better choice than anvil types, as it is diffi cult to make a correctly located pruning cut with anvil hand pruners. Loppers: While larger, and subsequently more awkward to use, than hand pruners, this tool is an excellent upgrade at ground level when the diameter of the branches exceeds the capacity of the hand pruners or their user's grip strength. Once again, a bypass blade will provide better quality pruning cuts than the also available anvil- style loppers. Hand saws: There is no shortage of available hand saws for pruning applications, but users should keep in mind the limitations, and strengths of their particular chosen type. Larger curved hand saws that excel at "zipping" through fairly large branches at a high rate of speed may provide a fairly rough and ragged fi nished pruning cut, while a smaller fi ne-toothed pruning saw may bend or even snap when used too vigorously on a larger cut. In short, the saw should fi t the task at hand, and having a variety of saws available as part to the climbing arborist's kit will help increase the quality of the pruning cuts produced. Pole saw/pruners: While this particular tool is called the "stick of the devil" in some quarters due to its propensity to produce poor cuts and encourage poor pruning judgments, neither of those is the inherent fault of the tool — rather they are the result of impatient and unskilled users. It is certainly easier to make a poor pruning cut with a pole saw or pole pruner, but attentive users who work to get in the correct position can make excellent pruning cuts with this tool(s). As far as the poor pruning judgment aspect, users can certainly "malprune" a tree with a pole saw or pole pruner, but, This previously made pruning cut went too far into the branch collar, leading to decay down the parent branch. ALL PHOTOS BY MICHAEL "HOUSE" TAIN