There are many great reasons to prune your trees.
The health of many trees can be vastly improved by regular pruning. Tree trimming can stimulate new vigor and promote healthy fresh growth. Hedges, in particular, require frequent pruning to keep the foliage tight and fresh and away from paths, and property.

Clients may believe a tree must be removed due to shading of the house/backyard or view, power line interference, or storm damage. Potentially there are ways to mitigate the issues by strategically trimming or pruning a tree that allows the client to live with the tree and protecting its future.

Removal of targeted limbs can greatly reduce some tree’s risk of splitting during storms.

Reasons to trim your trees include:
Proactively removing dead branches from trees minimizes the possibility of these branches damaging people and property when they do eventually fall away from the tree.
Branch inclusions, where branches start to grow together create weak points and one of those branches should be removed.
Branches that rub each other as they cross over may also need attention.
Diseased and damaged limbs should also be proactively removed to reduce the spread of fungus or bacteria.
Removing excessive bulk and weight on overburdened limbs can be useful in keeping trees safe as well as protecting people and property

Fruit trees are a huge asset to have for any homeowner, and for schools and businesses alike. They do require some special care and knowledge, as the correct pruning will make a considerable difference in the size and abundance of your fruit.

Many clients have pruned their pip and stone fruit tree only to find the following year they have no fruit. This is because it is imperative to know where your tree produces fruit from.

Fruit trees exhibit different fruiting habits depending on whether they produce fruit on new wood (current season’s growth) or old wood (previous season’s growth or older branches). Here’s a general breakdown of common fruit trees categorized by their fruiting habits.

Fruit Trees That Produce Fruit on New Wood:

1. Peaches typically bear fruit on the current season’s growth, particularly on the tips of branches.
2. Nectarines also produce fruit on new wood, similar to peaches.
3. Plums Some plum varieties, especially Japanese plums, produce fruit on new wood. They often fruit on the current season’s growth. They are generally vigorous and require annual pruning
4. Apricots commonly bear fruit on new wood, especially on branches that have grown during the current season.
5. Fig Trees produce fruit on both new and old wood. They often bear fruit on the current season’s growth, as well as on older branches and even on the main trunk.
6. Persimmons Certain persimmon varieties produce fruit on new wood. They typically fruit on the tips of young branches that have grown during the current growing season.

Fruit Trees That Produce Fruit on Old Wood:

1. Apple Trees primarily produce fruit on short spurs, and stubby branches that develop on older wood. These spurs can continue to bear fruit for several years.
2. Pear Trees also produce fruit on spurs, similar to apples. They bear fruit on older wood, particularly on the short, fruiting spurs.
3. Sweet Cherry Trees generally produce fruit on spurs, although some cultivars may exhibit a combination of fruiting habits, with some fruiting on new wood and others on older spurs.
4. European plum Trees generally fruit on older wood spurs.

Understanding the fruiting habits of different fruit trees is important for proper pruning and maximizing fruit production while minimizing the removal of potential fruiting sites.

Correct pruning of fruit trees should also consider accessibility to fruit, light penetration, and ease of pollination as well as size for ease of maintenance.

Topping trees is considered one of the most harmful tree-cutting practices.

Topping trees is the indiscriminate cutting of branches to stubs or lateral branches to reshape and contain the canopy. It is often used to reduce the height of the tree,  but it may increase risks in the future.

Correct pruning practice techniques beyond the branch collar allow the tree to “wall off” the wound site and “heal”.  Stubs and multiple wounds caused by topping may leave a tree unable to defend itself and the wood will begin to decay. This can then travel to other parts of the tree.

Removing too much of the canopy can starve your tree of its food source as dormant buds are activated to quickly produce new shoots below each cut, but without the capacity to rapidly refuel .

New shoots will grow rapidly and are often weak and at risk of limb failure.