Proper Pruning Techniques
1. Make a small wedge shaped cut on the underside of the branch just on the branch side of the stem collar. This will break the bark at that point and prevent a tear from running along the bark and stem tissue.
2. Somewhat farther along the branch, starting at the top of the branch, cut all the way through the branch leaving a stub end.
3. Finally, make a third cut parallel to and just on the branch side of the of the stem collar to reduce the length of the stub as much as possible. Reference: http:// www. tree-pruning. com / how-toprune. html
4. DO NOT TOP TREES!
There are a lot of topped trees in our part of Frederick County, but this is a harmful practice. For more information about topping, see“ Why Topping Hurts Trees” at: http:// www. treesaregood. com / treecare / resources / whytoppinghurts. pdf
Ouch! These topped trees have no hope of a normal life. Don’ t do this to your trees!
5. REMOVE VINES Do you have trees on your property that are covered in vines?
Invasive vines, such as English Ivy and Oriental Bittersweet, weaken otherwise healthy trees. Eventually, the weight of these vines will bring a tree down. You should remove vines from trees on your property. Try to be vigilant about not allowing vines to even begin growing up your trees. For more information about these harmful vines, refer to the Plant Conservation Alliance’ s Alien Plant Working Group Fact Sheets. http:// www. nps. gov / plants / alien / fact. htm
Connect with Friends of the Lake
Find us on Facebook: Friends of the Lake * Lake Linganore at Eaglehead
Email: FriendsofLakeLinganore @ gmail. com
LakeTalk March 2017 13