Nature's Select Logo
Home
Resources
Blogs
5 Types of Tree Pruning

5 Types of Tree Pruning

March 22, 2021
2 minutes read

Pruning your trees has many different benefits, including keeping them healthy and strong. While it may seem counterproductive, cutting off large, heavy branches or diseased limbs can help your tree recover and make it even more disease-resistant. Still, most homeowners don't take the time to research professional tree trimming or pruning until it's too late. In fact, many don't call Nature's Select Triangle until limbs are lying in the lawn after a bad storm. However, any one of the following types of tree pruning could have prevented the extra damage.

1. Crown Thinning

Crown thinning is an essential tree pruning procedure that removes smaller, weaker limbs from the tops of your trees. This opens up the tree canopy, allowing more air and light penetration to the branches and leaves below. Crown thinning also lightens larger limbs' loads, lowering the risk of losing bigger branches in a spring thunderstorm.

2. Dead Pruning

Removing dead, dying, or diseased branches is an essential part of having trees on your property. Dead pruning not only removes infected limbs, but also improves the appearance of your trees, instantly boosting your property's curb appeal. Removing all of the dead branches lowers the risk of injury to you and your home.

3. Crown Reduction

If your trees' overall height is a concern, then they're the perfect candidates for crown reduction. By removing small branches attached to the larger, heavier branches, crown reduction ensures that your trees don't become too top-heavy. This type of pruning is especially crucial for younger trees, and helps promote the young tree to continue to grow big and strong without all the added weight of smaller branches.

4. Crown Lifting

Crown lifting is the pruning process that removes the low-hanging branches and limbs that are weighing down the higher ones. This process is usually done for trees that overhang sidewalks, roads, or even your home. However, this process is harmful to larger, more mature trees, making it a process intended for younger trees. Crown lifting also allows for your trees to match the rest of your landscaping, leaving them both well-manicured and healthy.

5. Pollarding

Pollarding involves removing all branches so that all that remains is a framework of the secondary branches along the main stem. Pollarding begins when your trees are still young and is done at regular intervals during their lifespan. This type of trimming provides a constant supply of small diameter poles without killing your tree.

Tree Care Matters to Us

Tree care and pruning is an essential part of homeownership. If your trees haven't been pruned in a while, it's time to call the professional team at Nature's Select Triangle. Not only can we prune your young or mature trees, but we can also treat them for diseases, treat your lawn for pests, and set you up with a boxwood treatment program. We proudly serve residents throughout Chapel Hill, NC, and the surrounding areas. To get a free tree pruning estimate, give us a call today at (919) 240-4239.

NS Plant White Icon

Join a proven brand with a simple, effective process.

Explore Franchise Opportunities

More Articles

Dollar spot lawn disease causing small circular patches of damaged grass
Dollar spot is a foliar lawn disease caused by Clarireedia fungi that produces bleached, silver-dollar-sized circles when nights turn cool, days stay mild, and dew sits on the canopy for hours. North Carolina homeowners routinely mistake it for drought, dull mower blades, insect feeding, or brown patch, which sends the wrong fix at the wrong […]
September 21, 2026
20 minutes read
Read article →
Fall overseeding for a healthy, dense lawn
Pre-emergent herbicides stop seeds from developing into seedlings, and grass seed is a seed. Apply most fall pre-emergents, and you block your own overseeding for 12 to 16 weeks. The way out is to choose an active ingredient labeled for use at seeding, or to sequence the two jobs across the calendar. A cart rolls […]
September 21, 2026
18 minutes read
Read article →
Mowed green lawn with a band of small soil cores from core aeration breaking down into the grass beside a driveway
Lawn care after aeration comes down to fourteen days. Water lightly two or three times a day for the first week to keep the top inch of soil damp, and leave the soil plugs in place to break down. Stay off the turf, hold off on mowing until new fescue reaches 3.5 inches, and skip […]
September 21, 2026
18 minutes read
Read article →

Ready for a Free On-Property Assessment?

Same-day estimate. 30+ years of biological methodology. Nature's Select® Guarantee. Local franchises, one team.
homeuserphone-handsetcalendar-fullcrossmenulist Skip to content