PARK MANAGEMENT(PRUNING TREES)

Trees are amazing living machines– they give us shade, beauty, and food! Some can live for hundreds of years. With a little bit of knowledge, care, and pruning, these trees can provide an abundance of benefits to us and the environment, and enable them to live to their full potential.

WHAT IS PRUNING?

• Pruning is the selective removal of plants parts, typically shoots and branches, to improve health and control growth of plants. 
• Proper pruning requires time and understanding of the plant’s growth habit, its biology, and its function in the landscape design. 
•  To promote good structure and lessen the need for future pruning, trees should be properly pruned during the first one to five years

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REASONS FOR PRUNING
1.Prune to maintain plant health

•  Remove dead, damaged or diseased plant tissue to maintain plant health and vigor.

 2.Prune to create special effects 

• Plants can be pruned to a particular size or shape, or to create special aesthetic and architectural forms including hedge and espalier forms (2D).

3. Prune to increase flowering and fruiting

• More flower buds will be formed for the following season if old flowers are removed when they lose their attractiveness, a practice called dead-heading.

4.Prune to rejuvenate old and overgrown shrubs

• Excessive growth often restricts air circulation through older plant, thus increasing pest problems and reducing light penetration. 
• Selectively prune to reduce wind resistance, increase air circulation, reduce pest problems and increase light penetration.

Pruning Equipment

1. Hand Shears

•   Hand shears (for branches up to 1/4'’ diameter) 
•  Both scissors and blade/anvil types are available in 6-9"sizes. 
•  Scissor type cuts more closely, while anvil type allows the cutting of slightly larger branches.

2. Lopping Shears

• For branches up to 1- 1/2'’ diameter 
• Scissors and blade/anvil types each have 16-30" handles. 
• Strong but lightweight handles are critic.

3.Pruning Saw

• For branches over 1'’ diameter. 
•  Pruning saws are characterized by coarse teeth to prevent gumming. 
• Most cut on the pull stroke for easier, safer use. 
•  Chain saws are dangerous to use for pruning. They are best used for cutting up limbs already pruned or for removing dead plants.

4.Pole pruners

• For branches beyond arm’s reach.
•  Either a pruning head with rope action or a saw can be mounted on a pole pruner. 
• A “take apart” handle makes storage easier.  
• A metal handle pole pruner is not safe for use near utility lines.

Methods of Pruning Tree

 Crown Cleaning

•  removal of dead, dying, diseased, crowded, weakly attached, and low
• vigor branches from the crown of a tree 
• . could also include some restructuring such as removing branches with included bark to reduce breakage.

Crown Thinning

• made to remove the number of branches in the crown which allows remaining branches and laterals to become more vigorous. 
• It improves light penetration and air movement throughout the crown of a tree.

Crown Reduction

• The selective removal of live branches and/or lateral limbs to decrease the height or spread of a tree’s crown, especially when a tree has grown too large for its permitted space. 
• This method is normally performed on mature trees, after they have become a problem and interfere with utility lines.