Pruning Young Established Trees A regular pruning program begun while trees are young will prevent extensive repair work when they are older.
• Establish well-spaced branches when the tree has been planted for approximately two years. This allows stronger limbs and a better canopy to develop because sunlight is more evenly distributed through the tree.
• Prune young trees so that major scaffold branches are spaced vertically 18 to 24 inches apart (more for larger trees). Choose five to seven main scaffolds that are evenly distributed radially; leave these, and remove other branches. In this way, you prevent any one branch from growing directly over another.
• Do not remove or cut back the central leader in trees where it forms the trunk. Such trees include tulip trees, black gums, sweet gums, pin and shingle oaks, 'Aristocrat' Callery pears, and other conical or pyramidal trees. Other trees have a modified leader: maples, ashes, honey locusts, lindens, dogwoods, flowering crabapples, and other shade or flowering trees with oval or round canopies. This modified leader may be cut back lightly to a lateral twig or bud if desired. Remove one of the two branches forming tight forks to allow the tree's normal shape to develop. If one of the balanced branches is not removed during early development, bark will accumulate in the angle of the two branches. Because this wood is weak, a heavy load of ice or a strong wind may break one of these branches or split them apart.
• Remove or cut back any side branches that assume dominance unless this growth is desirable (i.e., it replaces a damaged leader). Remove or cut back these side branches to an outfacing bud or side branch lower than the leader.
• Remove branches that may develop into potential hazards, such as low-hanging branches that interfere with traffic.

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