Trees possess beauty that is sometimes obscured by nature itself. Pruning dead limbs and sculpting a form will enhance a tree's natural beauty and health.
This 6-minute video shows how to prune mature apple trees. An 11-step summary can be viewed at 5:27.
This 4-minute video shows how to prune woodland trees for increased health and growth.
Oak wilt is a serious disease that can kill healthy oaks in a matter of weeks. Pruning at the wrong time of year can spread this disease. This video explains oak wilt and when to prune oaks to minimize the chances of them getting sick.
For more information on oak wilt and its prevention, check out this 2-page factsheet from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Trees mark the changing seasons, protect our water, and clean our air. You can figure out which tree is which by spotting differences in leaves, bark, and even where a tree is growing.
Wild apple trees are an important food for wildlife, but overcrowding within a tree and between neighboring trees can reduce the number of apples they produce. Prune branches and clear around wild apple trees to help them grow more fruit.
Trees provide food, dens, and nest sites for wildlife, but some trees are more useful to animals than others. Once you find trees that provide the most value to wildlife, you can cut adjacent trees to give the remaining ones more room to grow.
Tree species, size, and quality all affect how much a logger will pay for your timber. Like weeding a garden, you can boost the future income of your woodlot by cutting poorly growing trees to give higher-value ones more room to grow.