Canopy reduction tree pruning

Dan has 2 medium sized Cherry trees that the client wants reducing in size before they get to large for their location. Dan explains his thought process while undertaking this type of job, how to select a pruning location, and how to keep the tree looking natural and giving it shape.
A height and spread reduction of a tree canopy is a very important skill to have as an arborist, and one that takes time to become proficient at. Trees in the urban environment require maintenance in order to keep the for many years to come without them causing various potential problems, reducing the canopy is one type of tree pruning that can be used if done correctly.
#ClimbingArborist #Arborist #TreePruning #TreeClimber #TreeSurgeon #CertifiedArborist

[@almangrant7358]

Take the limb back to a lateral branch that is 1/3rd the diameter of the one being cut. This remaining branch will now assume the "terminal role". Utilizing this trim pattern is a proper pruning technique for crown reduction and the best recommended practice.

[@batmantiss]

Very nice. Any knuckle dragger can remove a tree. It takes a little more brains to be an arborist. Sometimes the hardest job is telling the customer "no"

[@BinoH]

Great Video on Drop crotch pruning/ Reduction pruning. They came out looking natural. So much better than a large number of trimmers who would just draw a line and head them back.

[@ClimbingArborist]

Thanks dude

[@MattGlynn]

just popped up again this video, wasn't disappointed good to watch again.

[@cannonball9478]

Took me 4 yrs to get my eye in and properly follow the thirds rule. Find maples/sycamores the trickiest. Good video

[@martybusby4280]

I truly appreciate you making this focus video and giving me the full scope of pruning as most tree guys like to record over and over the fun removals.

[@captainsandwijj4845]

Awesome video Dan. Pruning is something so many people get so wrong. I think there is room for another even more in depth exploration of the topic if you’re up for it 👍

[@ClimbingArborist]

Captain Sandwijj thanks for commenting. I have another one planned about pruning, hopefully won’t be to long before I film it

[@captainsandwijj4845]

Excellent!

[@edsida]

I would welcome a lengthy video in depth to pruning. You present well

[@markmarescalco1039]

Great video thanks for all the time you put in for our benefit

[@troytreeguy]

Nice work Dan, definitely one of the most difficult pruning prescriptions. Be Well

[@ClimbingArborist]

Thanks Troy

[@ivancasanova4123]

Beautiful job

[@MegaMatthewMartin]

If you do another video like this, it would be really cool if you set up a camera on the ground to get a time delay shot to see the work as you progress through the tree and try to get a sense of what decision you are making as you go. The trees looked great when you were done.

[@ClimbingArborist]

I'll keep that in mind for the next one

[@edsida]

Agreed. You seem very in control from what we see in film

[@alonsogarcia1990]

One of the most relative video I've watched yet.

[@martinknight9027]

Another great video in the harder aspects of tree work easier to do the job wrong than properly and often harder to convince a customer its the proper way to prune a tree, expecially when most want a telegraph pole with a bird box nailed in the front

[@ClimbingArborist]

Very true, thanks for commenting

[@Billster1955]

Thanks Dan

[@phillippilmer4346]

Very good video as usual. I like that you have explained what your doing and how you will do it gives the newer inexperienced climbers a good idea on how to actually go about a full on crown reduction. Trees looked mint! Cherrt as you know can be a bit straggley top job but you didnt need me to tell you that. Cant wait for the next video!

[@ClimbingArborist]

Thanks for commenting Philip, I really appreciate it

[@erik30012]

Nice job, I find pruning always relaxing labour despite of stretching out to the end of the limbs

[@ClimbingArborist]

Thanks Erik

[@jerrannhoward6182]

Nice job!!

[@horseman115jh]

Thanks for doing that vid and sharing Dan. Very few out there that show the thought process and what goes into tree pruning. Very different from tree removal. It's a very different view once your up there. I very much rely on my groundie to keep me right in terms of how its looking from the ground. Stay safe ma friend.

[@ClimbingArborist]

I agree, there are not many videos of the pruning type around, yet this is what a lot of us do on a daily basis, I'm trying to add a broad spectrum of useful information to my video content and this is just the beginning

[@woodpeckerarborist]

Glad to see a thoughtful video on tree pruning. Very hard to do in person, let alone on youtube. I do a lot of crown reduction and structural pruning in the type of scenario you show in this video. It looks and sounds like you don't want to make any larger cuts as they would be more detrimental to the tree. This is prevalent in our industry and concerns me because it tends to leave all your final cuts similarly sized and in one small area of your finished canopy. In my experience, not significantly diversifying the size and more importantly the locations of your cuts throughout the canopy when doing crown reductions creates a “starting line & lets race” kind of growth response. Cutting what needs to be cut, no matter the size in order to perform “target pruning” (finding old terminal tips that haven’t died) and using their ability to control regrowth is very effective. Here (San Jose, CA) I only have to prune cherry trees in reasonable scenarios significantly every 5-10 years with a snip here or there in between. Thanks again for taking the time to show and discuss thoughtful pruning!

[@ClimbingArborist]

woodpeckerarborist thanks for commenting, it’s something we do semi regular and a lot more so when I worked in the UK, it’s an important skill to have and is a good way of managing trees if done correctly.

[@TheSamsonizzle]

Can you expatiate on what you mean by "starting line & lets race" growth response?

[@woodpeckerarborist]

@@TheSamsonizzle when a tree is reduced it shocks the tree into responding with new growth proportional to the canopy that has been removed. When these reduction cuts are along the outer edge of the canopy and of similar size (as in hedging or pollarding) it creates a scenario where every outer canopy bud is equal (starting line) and has a chance to be the top dog (off to the races). This is why pollarded trees have very even canopies after one years growth. But like any race, over time, dominant players start to separate themselves from the pack. On the other hand, if you vary the size and location of your reduction cuts. Some larger cuts on the interior, medium cuts in the outer canopy, and small cuts on the edge, you get a more refined response from the tree. The larger cuts want to have a larger response, but if they are in the interior they are subordinate to the buds exposed to more light. The outer cuts are exposed to more light, but don’t have the drive to replace missing canopy, because very little has changed for them. Hope this helps explain it better.

[@scatoutdebutter]

looks good!

[@arnassvel]

My climbing is 95% pruning jobs. And this video is one of the best so far on pruning. I wish to see how to prune a veteran tree. Cause theres a very few info about that 😊

[@ClimbingArborist]

Thank you for watching and commenting, I'm glad you feel like this is one of the best videos for pruning, I really appreciate that

[@thienthaitran]

Great video buddy. A more in depth video on prunning is needed! Cheers from Canada

[@Joesdifferent]

Good information

[@keithcramer3844]

Great job

[@ClimbingArborist]

Thanks Keith

[@cannonball9478]

Another aspect is informing the client a more delicate prune will save them money rather than the tree dying back or producing rapid re growth

[@ClimbingArborist]

Great point and definitely educating the client is key for tree pruning, thanks Alex

[@tracylittle645]

Good Video

[@user-ie5sc5ur2v]

Nice to see an explanation of a part of the Arborists world that doesn't seem to get covered on KZbin much, very informative, thank you. I live in Japan and people here will prune trees to a far greater extent than other places that I've seen. You see them and think they won't last a year but drive by in a year and there's a full canopy.

[@ClimbingArborist]

1011001101 thanks. I felt like there are so many videos of arborists removing trees and not much on the pruning side so I aim to make a few more about pruning to hopefully get more information out there

[@EricJemAndes]

Nice man! Been loving the content! Thanks for your hard work and sharing.

[@dustinflores2367]

Thanks for your videos and your in depth teaching on various subjects, I’m recently getting into a lot of pruning, I’ve done tons of removals but one of my customers has a fruit orchard so they selected me to prune there trees, the first time I did it over a year ago I was nervous not sure if I was doing it right, but thanks to you and your teaching I’m learning a lot more and I’m more confident having more knowledge. Thanks for sharing what you know

[@MG-fr3tn]

Now I respect the pros on my nighbours tree.😂

[@onedaywarrior8668]

You should do a series on pruning with different tree types and scenarios. It's hard to find good instructional videos on pruning.

[@ClimbingArborist]

oneday warrior I am planning to do various videos on pruning as the different jobs and scenarios come along, as a lot of people seem to like and appreciate that this is a video about pruning, not the typical removal video. Cheers for commenting

[@mightyconker3903]

Plant amnesty on yt has a pruning series worth watching

[@leakso1]

I've never heard it explained so well. The rule of thirds, does this apply to all tree pruning regardless of species? & obviously we're appropriate in relation to job at hand. For example, an Ash, beech, sycamore or oak? When doing a crown reduction and prune do you always use the rule of thirds Dan? I'd really love to see a video in which u show one or 2 complete large limbs/stems that need pruned and reduced, and explain why ur removing each part you cut away. I am not satisfied with my pruning, and I want to learn more.

[@ianbarnett6027]

Great job Dan and really good video. I thought both trees looked great after finishing. Just out of interest how long did it take you to prune both trees once you started climbing. Not counting the clean up, but just the pruning work.

[@ClimbingArborist]

Hi Ian, thanks for commenting, The trees took approximately 2.5 hours to prune not including clean up

[@corleonis888]

Hello Dan, thank you for this video. I was wondering what you do to shorten a branch on a cherry that has no laterals that you could take it back to (or the laterals are only thin fruiting shoots). This is on a 8 year old cherry tree that's about 5m high. It looks nice but we are unable to cover it to protect the fruit from the birds. I used sleeves until now but it's getting too big for that now. The main branches start quite low, at about 90cm. Thank you!

[@Brickmaster-cr2gd]

Hey man like your helmet i was thinking of getting a Husqvarna Technical helmett.

[@ClimbingArborist]

Helmet is great and very comfortable. This is the Husqvarna Spire

[@turtlezed]

Nice job.....do you find your handsaw a little too coarse for those skinny prune jobs? Could maybe do with a finer toothed handsaw myself I think...

[@GabrielTrogolo]

Hi there, nice video and good pruning choices imo. I just pruned a Liquidambar and a Acer platanoides few weeks ago, but i was not sure about the right season choice. Trees are entering in a crucial stage of the year, loosing their leaves. Could be better, in your opinion, to prune in winter without problems or in full summer (with very less green branches removed of course)?

[@erik30012]

In the winter the tree is not able to heal it's wounds, best to prune with the leaves on

[@xzu6245]

@@erik30012 especially stone fruits. Should be pruned mid summer(?)

[@erik30012]

@@xzu6245 I was referring to the trees in the previous post, not specifically fruit trees

[@RawRawly]

Dan I gotta know where you got that little lanyard for your handsaw, I've never come across ones that small. Great video

[@ClimbingArborist]

MrKingpinn187 it’s the best handsaw lanyard ever! It’s actually from a rock climbing wrench tool. What country you in? I try and find a link for you

[@RawRawly]

Climbing Arborist Canada!!

[@Brickmaster-cr2gd]

2:11 savage jumping squrrel

[@ClimbingArborist]

That squirrel is too funny

[@asupremum1246]

Those trees look like they were just starting to go dormant. Was that really a good time to prune? I always hear trees should be prunned before the sap starts flowing; before they come out of dormancy not before they go into it. I always hear if you cut back trees while they're trying to go dormant you cut off the supply of sugars that they would have been able to pull out of the leaves and store in their roots for next years growth. Also in some species you may stimulate them to immediately put out new growth that is then killed off by frost.

[@sloth9669]

What saw is that? Thanks in advance.

[@Dan-jg7zl]

I don't bother with chainsaws in trees like this, I find silky work just as quick are more fun. Not fun being in a tree with a top handle snagging on stems because when it's a tight squeeze to move around small spaces. Leaves a cleaner cut and more precise.

[@colintaylor-hayhurst2040]

What month is best

[@handsomemonkeyking5299]

Then the client asks you to cut it down lower

[@zacharyleblanc1547]

Every time like clock work!

[@richie1593]

Hi , what helmet is that you’re wearing ?

[@ClimbingArborist]

richie1014 Husqvarna Spire

[@richie1593]

Climbing Arborist Thanks , don’t think I’ve seen them here in Europe .