Pruning Standards and Cuts Flashcards
7 cards from real CATS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Pruning Standards and Cuts flashcards as text
What does CODIT stand for in tree wound response?
Answer: Compartmentalization Of Decay In Trees
CODIT, developed by Dr. Alex Shigo, describes how trees wall off wounded and decaying tissue through four distinct compartmentalization walls.
Crown raising (crown lifting) is performed primarily to:
Answer: Provide clearance for vehicles, pedestrians, or structures beneath the canopy
Crown raising removes lower branches to increase vertical clearance beneath the canopy for traffic, sight lines, or buildings.
When removing a large scaffold branch in multiple sections using a rigging system, where should the top cut on the lowest remaining section typically be made?
Answer: At the branch bark ridge and just outside the collar
Regardless of whether removals are made in sections or in one piece, the final cut should always follow proper collar anatomy to preserve wound closure tissues.
Which ISA Best Management Practice limits the maximum amount of live crown that should be removed in a single pruning event on a mature tree?
Answer: No more than 25%
ISA BMP guidelines generally recommend removing no more than 25% of the live crown in any one season to avoid excessive stress on mature trees.
An included bark inclusion at a branch union signals structural weakness because:
Answer: The inward-growing bark prevents formation of strong interlocking wood fibers across the union
Included bark grows inward between co-dominant stems, preventing the formation of connective wood and creating a plane of weakness that can split under load.
Which pruning objective is most appropriate for a mature Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) that is becoming too large for its planting space?
Answer: Crown reduction back to suitable lateral branches
Crown reduction following ANSI A300 cuts back to lateral branches large enough to assume the terminal role, managing size while maintaining tree structure.
A 'natural target pruning' cut is guided by which two anatomical features?
Answer: Branch bark ridge and branch collar
Natural target pruning uses the branch bark ridge on the upper side and the branch collar on the lower side as the two anatomical guides for proper cut placement.