By Enrique Arayata
ISA Certified Arborist® OH-7252A
June 26, 2025
Tree care comes in many forms: insect and disease management, fertilization, cabling, lightning protection, removal, and last but not least, pruning! Today, let’s talk about the importance of tree pruning and the various reasons why a tree may need pruned.
ISA Certified Arborist Andy Bartram making a tree pruning cut!
Tree pruning is the selective removal of branches from a tree with the general goal of improving the overall quality of the tree, whether it be for safety, health, structure, fruit and flower production, aesthetic appearance, and more. Some may view pruning as unnecessary as there are hundreds of thousands of beautiful, healthy, and unpruned trees out in the world that have grown successfully without human intervention. Although this is true, there are also many trees out in nature that are dead, dying, or unpleasant to look at. A native volunteer tree out in nature grew naturally from one of hundreds of seeds and competed with all the surrounding trees for resources. They are tough and independent and do not need any human assistance. However, the same cannot be said for a single tree or sapling planted by a human in a site where that tree might not have ever grown there naturally. These human planted trees often need extra care like watering, mulching, and fertilization in order for them to be vigorous, healthy, or aesthetically appealing.
A tree sapling planted during one of our TREE FOR A TREE® tree planting community events!
“Pruning” differs from “trimming” as pruning prioritizes a tree’s health and structure. Only the necessary limbs are removed and aesthetic appearance is a byproduct. With “trimming”, plants, shrubs, hedges, and trees are trimmed with the goal of improving their appearance. Depending on the individual trimmer, health and structure may be sacrificed in order to attain a certain look. Trimming can also cause problems as limbs might not be cut back to a spot conducive for compartmentalization and may invite pests or diseases to invade the tree.
Our team member Andrew making a tree pruning cut!
A tree may need to be immediately pruned if it poses a safety concern, such as in the event of storm damage. If there’s a large or dead limb overhanging something significant such as a house, car, sidewalk, or valuable lawn ornament, that limb may need to be preemptively removed as it could be hazardous during a storm. Additionally, codominant stems, two stems with a tight V-shaped attachment at the union, are an example of limbs with safety concerns as this can lead to included bark, lead to uneven growth in a tree, and also be a structurally weak point in a tree that may fail in high wind, snow, or ice events.
An example of a mature codominant limb. Instead of pruning it at this stage of the tree’s life, the owner decided to have brace rods installed to add additional support to this union.
Our team member Mac pruning a dead limb overhanging a busy road.
If there are any limbs with clearance issues, it may also need to be removed. This applies to limbs that are touching any house siding or utility lines or any low hanging limbs that impede lawn activities or pulling into a driveway.
Another important aspect of tree pruning is for health and structural reasons. A tree’s overall health and structure will increase by removing any dead, dying, damaged, disease-infected, codominant, or crossing limbs. Removal of these limbs promotes new growth and increased flower and fruit production. When a tree is pruned, nearby trees, shrubs, plants, and grass can also benefit by receiving more resources like sun, water, and air. These additional resources can improve aesthetic appearance and promote new growth. If the pruned tree was also close to a window you may even have a better view from inside your house or more sunlight coming in during the day!
Unruly lilacs in need of pruning.
As mentioned earlier, tree pruning can improve aesthetic appearance. Pruning does not focus on looks but removing dead, dying, broken, weak in structure, or clearance-issue limbs generally makes trees look neater, cleaner, and overall better. The pruned tree may not have a specific shape desired by an individual, but it will be healthier and safer. Another factor to consider is property value. An unmaintained tree can look unpleasant, unruly, and unsafe which can hurt the curb appeal and value of a property. When it comes time to sell, having a beautiful, healthy, and pruned tree can potentially increase property value, making it an easy worthwhile investment!
So now that you have read about the various reasons for tree pruning, you may be wondering when a tree should be pruned, how often should a tree be pruned, or how much of a tree should be pruned? The short answer is… it depends! Some trees are best pruned during a specific season and some may have no preference. For example, oak trees are not recommended for pruning from roughly April to October due to the risk of oak wilt. A sugar maple can generally be pruned any time of the year, but it is recommended to prune a sugar maple tree during the summer rather than winter to avoid sap leakage from pruning wounds, which does not pose any significant problem to the tree’s health.
Multiple water sprouts shooting straight up from a larger branch due to stress.
In terms of frequency, younger trees may need to be pruned every two to three years while more mature trees may need to be pruned every three to five years. The specific timing can fluctuate and vary based on planting site, climate conditions, potential insect and disease issues, and more. In terms of how much to prune, there should be no specific goal. Only remove the necessary branches. However, a general guideline is that no more than 25% of a canopy should be removed at one time as the tree may “go into shock” and grow watersprouts in an attempt to replace the stored energy lost from the removed branches.
If you decide to have your tree pruned, two common, incorrect methods of pruning that Russell Tree Experts strongly advise against and do not perform are tree topping and lion’s tailing. Tree topping is pruning to create a rounded canopy that often requires cutting through a stem at an improper location. Lion’s tailing is the removal of many, if not all, secondary or tertiary branches from the interior of the crown, leaving most of the foliage at the edge or top of a canopy. Although the look of both of these tree pruning methods may be desired by a specific individual, they do not improve the overall health or quality of a tree and can actually shorten its lifespan and promote decay.
Examples of improper tree pruning: Tree topping (left) and lion’s tailing (right)
Tree pruning is a very large and vast subject with much to cover. Someone could write a novel about tree pruning and still not cover every single detail. The goal of this article was to discuss the many reasons for tree pruning, not necessarily to teach someone how to become a tree pruning expert. However, we do have an article and a video on the 3 cut method that will be linked down below for anyone interested in learning how to safely and effectively remove a limb! Additionally, more tree pruning-related articles are also down below including 6 harmful tree pruning methods! (You already know 2 of them from reading this article!) As always, if you’re interested in a free tree work quote by one of our 20+ ISA Certified Arborists®, visit RussellTreeExperts.com/Quote or speak to our friendly, local office at (614) 895-7000!
Please note: This article was originally published on 1/12/2023 and was revised on 6/26/2025.
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Enrique Arayata I Media Production Manager, Russell Tree Experts
Enrique is an ISA Certified Arborist® and FAA Certified Remote Pilot. In his free time, he enjoys working out, hanging out with his family and girlfriend, video production, photography, cars, technology, and cooking. Enrique has a BA in moving image production with a double minor in film studies and studio art specializing in photography from The Ohio State University, and an AA in web graphic design from DeVry University. His favorite tree is the Kwanzan cherry tree.