ABSTRACT
Pruning is the selective removal of plant parts to achieve an objective, and has been practiced in various disciplines for many years. Orchardists are interested in the effects of pruning on edible fruit production and foresters prune lower branches on the trunk to improve timber quality. This chapter focuses on pruning trees in developed landscapes, which are variously referred to as ‘street’, ‘shade’, ‘ornamental’, ‘landscape’ or, as I will use here, ‘amenity’ trees. Owners and managers of amenity trees usually do not expect them to provide products like timber or produce – although urban biomass production and edible landscapes are possible – but rather, appreciate them for the variety of benefits they provide (see Chapters 5–12). Pruning is arguably the most common arboricultural practice, and certainly the practice that consumers most often associate with arboriculture.
