Tree Trimming and Arborist Basics: Safe Pruning and When to Call a Pro

What the work looks like

Tree trimming at the landscape-crew level means small-tree pruning, deadwood removal, and cleanup. Anything larger than a ladder can reach, anything near power lines, and anything requiring a chainsaw above shoulder height is climber or bucket-truck work done by a certified arborist. Knowing where the line is, and working within yours, is what keeps you employed (and not dead; tree work is the most dangerous job in the US by fatality rate per 100,000 workers).

At entry level you will: drag brush to the chipper, operate a chipper (after training), run a chainsaw at ground level, make proper pruning cuts with hand pruners and a pole saw, clean up the job site, and back up the climber or bucket operator as the ground person. The ground person is the safety person: you watch for falling limbs, keep the work zone clear of homeowners, guide the rope, and call out hazards the climber cannot see.

Job titles: Groundsman, Tree Care Groundsman, Climber (after 6 months to 2 years), Certified Arborist (ISA certification, written exam). Groundsman pay $17 to $22 per hour; climber $22 to $40; arborist $28 to $50.

Safety and tools

Tree work kills about 80 workers per year in the US and injures about 23,000. The hazards:

• Struck-by: falling limbs, the tree itself, a kickback chainsaw. Hard hat always. Hard hat with face screen and ear muffs for chainsaw work.
• Electrocution: any tree near a power line is a qualified-line-clearance arborist job only. Do not touch a tree that is touching a power line. Assume every line is energized.
• Chainsaw: chaps (Class 2 UL rating minimum), steel-toe boots, gloves, hearing and eye protection. Never cut above shoulder height, never between your legs, never one-handed. Two-hand grip, thumb wrapped around the bar.
• Chipper: the number-one chipper injury is getting pulled in by clothing or gloves while feeding. Feed butt-first, let go before the feed wheel grabs. Stand to the side, not directly in front. Know where the emergency feed-stop bar is and reach it with your body, not your hand.
• Ladder: place against a tree trunk, not a branch. Do not overreach. No chainsaw use from a ladder (that is climber/bucket work).

Pruning cuts:

• Cut outside the branch collar (the swollen tissue at the branch base), not flush to the trunk.
• Three-cut method for any limb over 1 inch: undercut 12 inches from the collar (prevents tear), topcut 2 inches beyond the undercut (drops the limb), final cut at the collar. Two cuts and a tear ruin a tree.
• Time of year matters: most deciduous trees pruned in late winter (dormant). Oaks not pruned April through July (oak wilt disease). Maples not pruned in spring (bleed sap).

Tools: Silky Zubat or Felco handsaw, Felco hand pruners, Fiskars pole saw, ground chainsaw (Stihl MS 261 or Husqvarna 550 XP), chipper (Vermeer BC1000XL or Bandit 250XP), rigging rope and blocks (climber's gear), chipper-feed push stick.

Your first exercise

Walk around a neighborhood and look at pruned trees. You will see three patterns: properly pruned (cuts at the branch collar, healed scar), topped (large-diameter cuts at arbitrary points, often followed by water-sprout regrowth; never do this, it is bad arboriculture), and storm-damaged untreated (jagged tears, bark stripped).

Identify each pattern. The ability to tell a good prune from a bad one is what ISA-Certified Arborists get hired for.

Where to go next

Build on Tree Trimming with Landscaping Fundamentals (Introduction to Landscaping), Chainsaw Safety, Small Engine Repair, Hardscape and Paver Installation (Introduction to Hardscape and Paver Installation), Plant Identification and Horticulture, and Pesticide Application (if you move into plant health care). ISA Certified Arborist is the gold-standard credential. Safety: Chainsaw PPE, Aerial Lift (bucket-truck), Workplace Safety.