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How to Prune Trees After Snow Damage

A heavy snowfall can cause a lot of damage to trees, especially if the snow is wet and piles up on the branches. Treetops can bend and break, branches can crack, and sometimes the entire tree comes crashing down. If you have trees that have snow damage, you should prune them for a couple of reasons. First of all, broken branches and split places can provide a starting place for insects and disease as soon as the weather gets warmer. Pruning damaged trees also restores much of their natural beauty.

Things You'll Need

  • Eye protection
  • Hard hat
  • Gloves
  • Lopping shears
  • Pole saw
  • Handsaw
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put on eye protection, gloves and a hard hat while working in and around damaged limbs. A hard hat may not always be necessary but be sure to use one if there are broken branches above.

    • 2

      Saw through or clip off any broken or damaged branches using the pole saw, handsaw or loppers, depending on the location of the branch. Support the branch until you have cut all the way through so it doesn’t pull a lot of bark off with it. Cut branches off close to the trunk but don’t make the cut so close that it damages the bark. If the branch is too heavy for you to easily support while cutting, skip this step.

    • 3

      Cut into the underside of any large branches about 18 inches away from the trunk. Make the cut about halfway into the branch. Stop sooner if the weight of the branch begins to bind the saw.

    • 4

      Make another cut in the top of the branch, a couple of inches farther out from the tree. Saw all the way through the branch until it comes off the tree.

    • 5

      Complete the removal of the large branch, cutting the stubby section of the branch free. Make the cut right at the collar where the branch joins the tree.

    • 6

      Trim the tree for balance after the damaged branches have been removed. Never take off more than a third of the branches, including the damaged ones, because doing so may kill the tree. Remove branches that make the tree look lopsided or unbalanced in any way. If the tree requires a lot of pruning, you may need to spread the job out over several years.

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