Structural Pruning in the Landscape

Developing and maintaining a dominant leader

Their are three basic steps to maintaining and developing to dominant leader. The first step is to identity the stem that will make the best dominant trunk. The second step is to remove competing stems and branches back to the trunk and the final step is to remove competing stems and branches back to the trunk or shorten them with a reduction cut

Developing Tree Scaffold Limbs

The general strategy to developing scaffold limbs is too shorten or remove vigorous upright upright branches back to a more horizontal or smaller, lateral branch on young and medium sized trees.