How to Prune a Birch Tree Like an Umbrella
Pruning birches trees into an open umbrella form with a crisp, even lower canopy gives a fresh and professional look to the tree and the surrounding landscape. Birch trees have a natural rounded upper canopy not unlike the top of an umbrella. The balance of work comes in creating a clean, crisp line on the lower canopy to mimic the underside of an umbrella. This pruning technique is most effective and dramatic on those birch species with a weeping branching habit, such as river birch and European birch.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Long blade shears (electric or manual)
- Colored masking tape
- Small level
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1
Determine the desired height of the bottom of the tree canopy. This will establish your cutting guide line that will determine the bottom and widest portion of the open umbrella shape.
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2
Wrap the trunk at this exact height with a length of colored painters or masking tape all the way around the trunk, ensuring that the tape ring is level and at the desired height. This will be your cutting reference line.
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3
Use your manual or electric shears to begin cutting the ends of the canopy branches level with the reference line. Begin cutting near the trunk and move out towards the edge of the canopy, keeping the cutting blade parallel with the ground.
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4
Move around the tree as you cut, making frequent or constant eye contact with the reference line. Periodically, stand back 10 to 20 feet form the tree to check your progress and ensure that you are happy with the height of the cut.
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5
Remove the masking tape guideline carefully so as to not rip too much of the bark. Discard the tape. Trim the bottom of the canopy once a year or as needed, using the same technique.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Always use a level to check the reference line. You want the line to be plumb-level, even if the tree trunk is not perfectly straight or perpendicular to the ground. If not, your umbrella will look crooked when finished.
