Pruning Standards and Cuts Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Pruning Standards and Cuts flashcards as text
What is the primary reason to avoid leaving a stub when removing a branch?
Answer: It prevents formation of wound wood and leads to decay
Stubs block the tree's natural closure process, allowing decay fungi to colonize the dead tissue before wound wood can form.
According to ANSI A300 standards, which pruning type removes live branches to reduce overall tree size while maintaining form?
Answer: Crown reduction
Crown reduction decreases the height or spread of a tree by cutting back to lateral branches large enough to assume the terminal role.
When making a reduction cut, the lateral branch retained should be at least what fraction of the diameter of the removed branch?
Answer: One-third
ANSI A300 recommends the retained lateral be at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem to sustain adequate photosynthate flow and avoid dieback.
Which term describes removing only dead, dying, diseased, or weakly attached branches from the crown?
Answer: Crown cleaning
Crown cleaning specifically targets the removal of defective wood and is the most common pruning type recommended for mature trees.
A flush cut that removes the branch collar is problematic because it:
Answer: Both increases wound size and removes the defensive zone
The branch collar contains both the trunk's protective chemical barrier zone and the tissue needed for wound closure, so removing it enlarges the wound and defeats tree defenses simultaneously.
The three-cut method for removing heavy branches prevents:
Answer: Bark tearing caused by the weight of a falling limb
The undercut and relief cut together remove most of the branch weight before the final collar cut, preventing gravity from stripping bark down the trunk.
Which pruning practice is classified as a lion-tailing and is discouraged by ANSI A300?
Answer: Removing all live branches from the inner crown and leaving foliage only at branch tips
Lion-tailing strips inner foliage and creates long, weakly-tapered limbs prone to failure under wind and ice loads.
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