City of Dallas Park & Recreation

afety should always be a first consideration! Look for power lines and other hazards before deciding to prune.
Before you cut the first limb, you must first decide why, where, and how.

Why prune?
Safety, form, function, clearance, and fruiting may be some important considerations. Several objectives may be achieved in a single pruning, such as removing broken branches for safety and lower limbs for sight clearance. The benefit of your objective must outweigh the damage of creating wounds where you prune limbs. Trees do not heal, but rather seal off wounds. Limbs pruned at the proper location and in the proper manner will allow the wound to seal more successfully. Do not paint or apply any covering to a wound, the tree will seal over with sap and new wood if you allow it to. Live Oaks, Red Oaks, Water Oaks, and Shumard Oaks should have wounds covered with an approved tree wound product to prevent possible infection from Oak Wilt disease.

Where should we prune?
Select appropriate limbs to remove that both satisfy the objective for pruning and retain the basic shape and balance of the tree. Do not top trees. Do not remove any more than 25% of the canopy in any one year. Plan to create mature tree form with several small steps.To remove limbs, target pruning (removing the branch at a node just outside the collar) is recommended as shown in the diagram below.

Select appropriate limbs to remove that both satisfy the objective for pruning and retain the basic shape and balance of the tree (illustration).

How should trees be pruned?
Limbs less than three inches in diameter that are within reach of the ground may be pruned with loppers or a saw, larger and higher limbs should be removed by a professional with appropriate equipment and insurance.