White Pine, Central U.S.: Can I trim long mid boughs to help short low boughs?

TBm

See picture #1 below. I removed some diseased junipers that had grown together with the white pine in the picture.

See picture #2 below. The low branches (red 'A' lines) of the white pine are stunted on its west side where it was intermingled with the now-missing junipers. The branches directly above (red 'B' lines) had grown over and through the junipers and reach out a long distance toward the west.

I want to give the low branches (A) a fighting chance by trimming back the branches above them (B) to the points indicated by the two arrows. There are 3 of these white pines side-by-side along the road. All are about 40 feet tall and all have a nice "christmas tree" shape.

Can I cut the long boughs as indicated without harming the tree?

Will doing so help the lower branches survive and grow out, or not?


This question is related to my Hybrid Willow trees into a hedge windbreak thread.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Eric Frei

As long as you cut back/head back to a living little branch coming off the branch you are cutting.

__________________

TBm

THANKS for more terminology! Is "head back" an arborist term or it DownUnder Speak? Either way, thanks.

Sorry to be dense (hardwood from the neck up ) but I'm not 100% sure what you mean, so I posted a photo below. I'd like to head back the limb to the GREEN line, more or less. Do I need to cut at A or B or C, or somewhere else?

Attached Thumbnails

 

Eric Frei

You cut to "B", just infront of that little branch, do not cut that little branch off. Of course that is based on the right hand side of the green line being the branch tip side and the trunk is on the left hand side of the green line.

If that little branch sticks out too far (beyond the green line) you can also head it back a little applying the same technique.

__________________

Brent Ferris

You can trim the middle branches, allowing the lower branches more light, but this is a short term solution. Within 10 years the branches above will likely have outstripped the growth of the middle and lower branches, and the lowest branches will die off -- lack of light. And in the meantime, the tree will have an unnatural shape on that side.

Additionally, this is the dust problem you spoke of where the Junipers are dying, so Willlows were planted to try to minimize the dust from the road? White Pines don't do that well with a lot of dust, clogs the pores when the foliage needs it most, in the summer. And if salt is used on the roadway, salt spray tends to kill the lower branches.

Buckthorn (Rhamnus sp) often considered weedy, tolerates dust, salt, wind, vandalism and frequent cuttings quite well, and will probably shield the dust better than the willows. Doesn't grow as fast, but only grows to about 20 feet, and with trimming can become quite dense. Has blue-black berries - edible (if you're desperate), attracts birds.

EIther way, willows or buckthorn will have to be trimmed yearly (or more often with willows) to keep them contained

__________________
My business: Tree Pruning and Removals -- Strump Removals -- Advice -- Consulting -- Arborist Reports
If you want an honest opinion, call Brent Ferris...because, Trees want to Live Too !
We do great jobs, even in small yards.

Free Estimates Oakville to Oshawa - North to Bradford (Will travel further if cost of travelling covered)

TBm

Now I understand completely. Thanks, Eric. It looks as if there'll be no more night-time lows below 40, so I'll try to "coppice" all willows tomorrow (yikes).

TBm

By rights, that probably should have occurred already. The trees are 13+ years old and 40' tall, so I would think they'd be getting "pole like" by now... Fingers crossed, and if Baby Doc Obama doesn't rock our economy fully back into the Dark Ages, I'll be long gone from this property before that happens.

I can't do a thing about the amount of dust, but on a positive note, these pines have faired quite well, in spite of it.

Thanks for the Buckthorn information. Man, that sounds GREAT (except for annual trimming back), but online research suggests that it sends out a lot of suckers (new shoots expanding into the surrounding area). I guess mowing would limit them some, but it IS a considerable drawback. If there were more space between the road, the dust break and the house, Buckthorn would probably be my choice. The birds + berries would be hell on the house though...