You need to decide what structure you want the tree to have. You will begin shaping the tree's structure when the tree is planted and each year after that. The two basic pruning cuts are heading back and thinning out.
The heading back cut basically removes the terminal portion of the shoot. This promotes branching within a 10-inch area below the cut. The uppermost bud will grow to be the new leader, and usually two to four other lateral buds below the terminal bud also grow. This type of cut is most often used on young trees to induce branching and to develop tree structure.
Thinning out cuts involve removing a shoot at its origin. This type of cut helps keep the tree from becoming bushy and causes the tree's existing framework to grow. It is used on young trees to favor the development of certain limbs and shoots and is almost always the cut used on older bearing trees that need light penetration into their interior but not additional branching.
After the tree has been shaped by early pruning, the job consists mainly of pruning to keep it within bounds; removing broken and diseased limbs; occasionally removing limbs to let more light into the tree interior; removing water sprouts and suckers; and removing limbs that rub together.
For more detailed information on pruning refer to "Pruning Fruit Trees," Nebraska Cooperative Extension EC78-1233.
