Pruning a Field of Christmas Trees

August 17, 2024

Tree pruning and grooming continues here at my Bedford, New York farm.

As the owner of many gardens, groves, and allées, I am constantly looking at all the trees, making sure they are in perfect condition. Pruning is one of the biggest and most important gardening tasks. Not only does pruning improve the overall health of the plants, it also prevents disease, and encourages better growth. Recently, my resident tree pruner, Pasang Sherpa, turned his attention to an area I call my "Christmas Tree Field" - a large space where I grow more than 600 evergreen trees - rows of Frasier Fir, Canaan Fir, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, and others. They were planted in 2009 and over the years have grown so beautifully.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: This photo was taken in June 2013, four years after I first planted all these trees in a back field adjacent to my compost yard.

: By 2015, the trees had grown several feet tall.

: Here they are in February 2019.

: And this is how they look now – it’s amazing how much they’ve grown. Every tree is so lush and green.

: But walking through the rows on the inside of the trees, it was clear many of the inner and lower branches were not getting enough light. Many of the branches grew bare.

: And many of the branches died.

: So Pasang went to work, cutting all the Ds – dead, diseased, damaged, and deranged or those branches that crisscross or rub against each other causing abrasion.

: Pasang uses his hand tree saw carefully cutting from the bottom branches up.

: Pasang cuts just outside the branch collar, which is the slightly swollen area where the branch and trunk meet.

: It is important to always use sharp tools whenever pruning so that the cuts are clean. Dull tools are difficult to use and could even damage the tree. A straight, clean-cut promotes quick healing of the wound and reduces stress on the specimen.

: For small branches, Pasang is able to use his pruners.

: As branches are taken down, they’re gathered and placed into tidy piles, so they can be cleaned up easily and quickly. After the job is done the crew will chip the branches and use the wood chips as top dressing in another area of the farm. Everything is always reused, repurposed or recycled when possible.

: There are a lot of branches cut from these evergreens, but already there is more light and air circulating through the rows, and one can see more clearly underneath the trees.

: Pasang is doing what is called “limbing-up” the trees and removing any low inner branches that block sunlight or disturb an open and airy appearance.