How to Prune Pine Trees

Although pine trees are hardy and long-lived, occasional pruning prevents problems, such as the tree growing too large for its space, and insect attacks on weak or injured parts of the tree. Pine tree pruning is primarily clean up work and should be done when the tree is resting - in late winter.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Loppers
• Pole Pruners
• Pruning Saws

1. Remove any dead, diseased or injured wood with lopping shears or a pruning saw. Pines are notorious for containing a lot of dead branches near the trunk. Start here first.

2. Cut away the branches that sweep the ground, unless you like that look. Bringing the foliage a few feet up from the ground makes it much easier to mow under the tree and to do basic clean-up chores. It also permits easy access to the inside frame work of the tree.

3. Reduce the size of the tree by pruning the new growth, called candles, by half. The candles grow rapidly in the early summer, which is when this particular job should be done. By cutting the candles in half, the new growth will be limited and you can control the eventual size of the tree.

4. Use a pole pruner to reach the higher branches. The pole pruner has a saw and a hook blade that makes work in the upper reaches of a tree easy.

Tips & Warnings

• When removing large branches, leave the branching collar in tact. (The branching collar is the bit of wrinkled bark that grows near the trunk.) If left in place, the branching collar will grow over the cut and the wound will recover quickly. If you cut too close to the trunk and remove the branching collar, the wound may not heal properly, allowing insects to enter the trunk.
• Watch for falling branches when using the pole pruner.