How to Prune a Norwegian Maple

Scan the branching canopy of the Norway maple to evaluate its health. Look for any dead or dying branches or broken limbs that warrant immediate removal. Once you see the branches needing pruning, look at the size of the branches so you know which tools you need.

Use a bypass or hand pruners to cut any branches less than 3/4-inch thick. Branches with a diameter of 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches need to be cut with a loppers. Use a hand-held pruning saw for branches 1 to 4 inches thick. A chainsaw is best used for larger branches. Depending on how large or high the branch is in the Norway maple's canopy, it may be safer to hire an arborist to complete the pruning maintenance.

Remove all dead or broken branches first. Make pruning cuts 1/4 to 1/2 inch above a lower branch junction. On twigs, make the cut just above a lower dormant bud or leaf. Large-sized branches may be taken back to the tree trunk or main branch. Make the cut with the loppers or saw at an angle perpendicular to the branch's bark since this creates the smallest wound in surface area once the limb is removed. Do not cut into swollen neck at the base of a large branch, known as the collar. Rather than cutting the limb with a flush/flat cut, there is a small knob bump left where the tree can callus and heal the wound.

Look at all the branch crotch angles in the tree. Branches that grow at 45 degrees or more off of the trunk are structurally the strongest. Prune away any twigs and branches that arise with acute angles -- less than 30 degrees -- off of the trunk or main branch limbs. Narrow-crotches with co-dominant branches are weak-wooded and are likely places of breaks and splits during a windstorm later in the tree's life.

Trim out any inward-growing branches that cross back through the center of the canopy. The best branches are those that radiate evenly outward toward the edge of the canopy where the sunlight exists. Also remove any inner branches that are rubbing against once another, creating bark wounds. Both branches may not require removal; just prune away the weaker branch or the one creating the rubbing wound.

Scan the trunk, trunk fare and any roots on the surface of the ground beneath the Norway maple. Trim off any suckering shoots, called water sprouts, from the trunk or roots. Keeping these superfluous sprouts drains energy from the main canopy and later creates multiple trunks and a thicket rather than a singular main bole.