Pruning

Correct pruning helps trees stay healthy and safe. Urban Forestry is required to maintain the proper clearance for street trees, thereby insuring public safety. Foresters from the Natural Resource Management Section of the Cincinnati Park Board work with contractors to maintain city-owned trees.

To help maintain public safety, there are certain guidelines for street and sidewalk clearance: 8 foot of vertical clearance over sidewalks and 14 feet of vertical clearance over streets. In addition, branches blocking the view of signs and streetlights are pruned; all dead, diseased, broken, or rubbing branches are removed; and all right-of-ways are kept clear of debris including branches and brush. To insure the health of trees, all work is performed to the technical standards of the National Arborists Association and to the tree work safety standards of the American National Standards Institute.

NO STREET TREES WILL BE TOPPED - topping seriously injures trees regardless how it is done. "Topping" is a drastic form of pruning in which the large branches of mature trees are removed or cut down to stubs much as a hedge is sheared. Many homeowners have their trees topped when the trees reach heights they consider unsafe. They are afraid a strong wind will blow the trees down. What they do not realize is that trees are designed to be huge organisms. The extensive root systems of healthy trees do provide them with adequate support no matter how tall they grow.

Some homeowners also mistakenly believe that the new growth stimulated by topping is beneficial to a tree. Although trees that have been topped will eventually grow new foliage and branches and do appear rejuvenated, this new wood is weak and is easily damaged by storms.

If you would like more information on correct pruning procedures, call Natural Resource Management at 513-861-9070 and ask for the Urban Forestry Specialist for your area.