Frequently Asked Questions
Skip Navigation LinksHome > Frequently Asked Questions > What is pruning a tree?

What is pruning a tree?

A: Pruning is the cutting or removing branches or parts of trees or for improving the shape or growth of trees. This is the most common tree maintenance procedure. Usually, trees are pruned preventative or as a corrective measure to remove dead branches, crowded or rubbing limbs, eliminate hazards, and increase light and air penetration. Since each cut to a tree has the potential to change the growth, it is important to educate yourself, considering no branch should be removed without any reason.

More information:

Pruning Young Trees

Pruning Mature Trees

News

Don't Move Firewood - Protect Nation's Forests
This camping and hunting season, get your firewood from a vendor close to your destination. Don’t pack your own! Invasive insects and diseases in dead and dying wood threaten our native trees and forests. If you move firewood, you could be giving these pests a free ride to new territory. MORE >>

National Tree Benefits Calculator
The Tree Benefit Calculator allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual street-side trees provide. This tool is based on i-Tree’s street tree assessment tool called STRATUM. With inputs of location, species and tree size, users will get an understanding of the environmental and economic value trees provide on an annual basis. The Tree Benefit Calculator is intended to be simple and accessible. As such, this tool should be considered a starting point for understanding trees’ value in the community, rather than a scientific accounting of precise values. For more detailed information on urban and community forest assessments, visit the i-Tree website. MORE >>

Warning: Check Tree-care Credentials
Several autumn fatalities linked to dangerous tree care practices are prompting a coalition of arborists and urban foresters to urge contractors (and others) to hire only certified tree-care professionals. MORE >>

Best Trees For The Street
Scientist John Hammond of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific research agency, has announced the findings of a four-year project to determine the best trees to use in urban spaces. MORE >>

Selling Houses By the Yard
Worried home owners hope landscaping adds value- from the Wall Street Journal MORE >>

NADF Hardiness Zone Map
Find out the right tree to plant where you live MORE >>


"The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now."

Resources

Pruning Young Trees Brochure

Pruning Mature Trees Brochure

Available through the ISA Web store

© International Society of Arboriculture 2009
P.O. Box 3129, Champaign, IL 61826
Email comments & questions to isa@isa-arbor.com