The benefits of pruning your trees depends on helping or injure your tree. Good pruning is one of the most important things you can do for your trees health and safety. A correctly pruned tree can be a valuable asset to your home. Incorrect pruning or branch removal can be a serious injury that can lead to tree failure or death.

Sometimes it is better to do nothing at all than to prune your tree badly. It is good for the health of your tree and will enhance its growth if you remove dead and diseased branches. Pruning usually involves the removal of only small amounts of foliage and where possible never more than 20%.

There is only one correct spot at which to cut a branch. There are unfortunately many incorrect ones. Branches should always be removed to a branch collar at the trunk or at a suitable sized branch. The branch collar is the part of the branch closest to a fork, which is made up of tissue from that branch only. Cut any closer and a major wound could be inflicted. Cut further out and you create a myriad of problems.

Pruning is an investment in the long term health and safety of your tree. We have our hair cut regularly to keep it healthy, neat and tidy.

We must do the same for our trees. And nobody likes a bad haircut. Incorrect pruning can be a simple waste of money which injures your tree and may involve expensive repair or removal.