This circular offers guidance for those who want to prune young trees.

Proper Pruning Cuts. The branch collar is the swollen area where the branch connects to the trunk. A proper pruning cut should be made just outside the branch collar and should not remove or damage the branch collar.

This allows for proper closure of the wound.

At the end of three years, the shrub consists of all new or young wood, renewed for future growth.

To prevent tearing of bark and vascular tissue, use the three-cut approach to pruning. The key to good wound closure is proper pruning, making a smooth cut just beyond the branch collar, and making all cuts on branches less than two inches in diameter. Trees under stress (soil compaction, drought, overly-wet soils, insect or disease problems, lawnmower damage to the trunk, etc.) are less capable of fighting the invasion of decay organisms.

Oct 26, They are used to remove damaged, dead, or weak branches, reduce the length and weight of heavy limbs, or reduce the height of a tree. Reduction cuts are placed so as to distribute ensuing growth throughout a tree and retain or enhance a tree's natural shape.

Reduction and thinning cuts are the proper type of cut to use in pruning a live bushhaul.barted Reading Time: 9 mins. When pruning a branch from a tree, use the three-cut method. Make a small cut, several inches up from the branch collar on the underside of the branch.

This first cut should be approximately ¼ of the way through the branch. large cuts that the tree cannot easily close. Making the Cut Where you make a pruning cut is critical to a tree's response in growth and wound closure.

Pruning cuts should be made just outside the branch collar. Since the branch collar contains trunk or parent branch tissues, the tree will be damaged unnecessarily if you remove or damage it.

In fact, if the cut is large, the tree may suffer permanent.