In pruning, there are three main types of pruning cuts, thinning cuts, reduction cuts and head cuts, each of which offers different results in terms of growth and appearance. Canopy cleaning is the most basic level of tree pruning and includes the removal of dead, dying, diseased and broken branches. Most arborists have been trained since the first time they picked up a saw to remove these types of branches without hesitation. Two common styles of hand scissors are scissors and anvil-cut scissors.
In scissor-action shears, a thin, sharp blade glides close to a thicker but also sharper blade. They usually cost more, but they make cleaner, more precise cuts. In anvil cutting scissors, a sharp blade cuts against a wide, flat blade. This is different from felling trees, which simply consists of cutting branches at random points or pre-assigned distances on the tree without regard to the remaining branch or the presence or location of the side branches.
In oak trees in areas of Texas where oak wilt disease is prevalent, a dressing should be used to help prevent the bark beetle from spreading the disease across the pruned surface of a tree. Young trees that are improperly pruned or not pruned at all for several years may require intensive pruning to remove larger branches and prevent trees from deforming. The pruning specifications for sighted pruning will largely depend on the view you are trying to obtain, but they could be as simple as: “When looking from the yard, remove the lowest branch on the left side of the tree back to the main trunk and remove the three lowest branches on the right side of the tree to the main trunk to improve the view of the lake. The central tip of a tree should not be pruned unless you don't want to, as is the case with some trees naturally with low branches or when plants with multiple stems are desired.
The concept of training a tree called a “garbage trunk” refers to this gradual lifting of the lower branches of a tree. Tree injuries that expose wood or kill bark may allow insects or pathogenic organisms to enter the tree. A common mistake when pruning young trees is to remove small branches leaving only a tuft of leaves at the top of the tree.
