How to Trim Your Tree
- 1). Locate the stem collar of the tree branch that you wish to cut away. The stem collar is a small ridge of wood that grows at the base of the branch at the edge of the tree stem.
- 2). Make a wedge-shaped cut in the underside of the tree branch about 6 inches from the stem collar along the branch using the saw blade of a pole pruner. Begin the cut from the bottom of the branch and extend it about a third of the way through the branch. This cut prevents the weight of the branch from damaging the stem collar by allowing the branch to droop downward against the cut rather than the collar as you make your first full cut through the branch.
- 3). Make a full cut through the tree branch 2 inches further out along the branch. Begin the cut at the top of the branch and saw straight through the branch until it's parted completely from the tree, leaving a branch stub.
- 4). Remove the branch stub by cutting a second line straight through the branch running parallel to the stem collar, but located just on the branch side of the collar.
- 5). Use a paint roller on the end of an extension pole to seal the cut wound in the tree if you're trimming a tree that's susceptible to insect damage; oak, elm or birch for example. Apply a layer of non-asphalt based pruning sealer to the cut; covering the open tree wound completely.
