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Removing Big Branches

Back in 1972, before I knew anything about planting trees, I dug up half a dozen small evergreens - pines and hemlocks - and planted a row of them for privacy near the house. They flourished. Even though the closest trees are 20-30 feet from the house, their branches were beginning to touch it and block out the light. It was time to bring back the sunshine.

Removing a big branch takes some planning. First, it's important to have a good sharp saw, gloves, and safety glasses. If using a ladder, as I was, it's important to have it well placed so that the branch will not fall on you, and so that the ladder will not tip or slide. It's best to have someone at the base of the ladder while you work.

Both pine and hemlock are fairly brittle, and will snap long before you saw though big branches. Bark will tear, scarring the trunk and opening it up for disease and insects, so it's best to make three cuts instead of one to remove a long heavy branch.

First, a word about saws. I have a 21 inch curved pruning saw with good stiff teeth. It is ideal for taking on bigger branches or small trees. I got mine for about $40 from Orchard Equipment and Supply Co (www.oescoinc.com or 800-634-5557). I could have used a bow saw for my recent job, but they are much less adaptable, and can't get in tight spots.

Here's how I removed the offending branches: First I made a cut on the underside of the branch, an inch or two deep and about 16 inches from the trunk. Then I severed the branch about 20 inches from the trunk with a cut from the top. The undercut stopped the ripping that occurred in the bark and tissue when, with a loud crack, the branch snapped off when I was barely halfway through the top cut.

I then had a tree with a long ugly stub. But this was relatively lightweight and easily pruned off near the trunk. Not at the trunk, as flush cuts are not recommended. I cut just beyond the "branch collar", which is a swollen area with wrinkled bark. It extrudes outward from the trunk, and is the site for healing.

My project was an easy one, in terms of deciding what to do. I was removing branches on the back side of the tree, and opening up the sky over my deck. The road side of the tree still has adequate branches to serve as a screen. But what to do if someone planted a blue spruce in the front of your house 20 years ago? You can't just prune off all the lower branches in order to keep them from blocking your windows.

The answer is one most homeowners won't like: You can cut down the tree, or you can live with a tree that keeps you from seeing out, and that rubs paint of your house when the wind blows. Many people have the problem, and just don't do anything. My vote? Cut down the tree.

If there is a moral to this story, it is this: Don't plant evergreen trees near your house. If you love their look, plant them well away from the house. If you need light in winter, plant deciduous trees and shrubs near the house - after all, they lose their leaves in fall. I particularly like a short lived native understory tree that never gets much taller than 20 feet, the pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia). The branching is exquisite, particularly as seen against snow. Their blossoms, though not dramatic, are nice in early summer, and the birds love their clusters of dark blue berries on red stems in the fall.

Another great one is the Japanese red maple (Acer palmatum). Even though it is borderline-hardy in Zone 4 where I live, it stays small and has gorgeous red leaves all summer. In warmer climes it gets to be a full-sized small tree, but my winters keep it to about 6-8 feet tall and wide. I've had mine since 1970, and it survived the winter of 1984 when we saw minus 38 degrees. It lost some branches that year (and other years) due to the cold, but the trunk is about 6 inches in diameter.

Now that winter is closing in, get outside and prune away branches that block the light from your windows. Unless, like Josh, you plan to hibernate. If so, I'll see you in the spring.

Henry Homeyer's new book is "The New Hampshire Gardener's Companion: An Insider's Guide to Gardening in the Granite State." Write him at gardening.guy@valley.net or P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746.