AnswerConnect partnered with Friends of Trees to support their tree planting and tree pruning activities. Friends of Trees plants trees throughout the year, from Vancouver to Oregon. They also have a summer pruning program to help more than 1,500 planted trees grow. During this time of year, Friends of Trees help trees survive upcoming winter storms. So what is tree pruning and how does tree pruning help ensure each planted tree is a healthy tree?
What is tree pruning?
Pruning trees and shrubs will help improve their health. Pruning can include removing their dead branches or trimming their long branches. Proper pruning techniques can increase their lifespan. However, poor pruning can be damaging to their health. Friends of Trees train volunteers to inspect planted trees and teach them how to prune trees! Friends of Trees prune trees for structure (shape) and for clearance (sidewalks and streets).
How does pruning trees help our communities?
According to Friends of Trees:
Pruning = longer-lived, healthier trees = healthier planet + people
All the benefits of trees increase exponentially, as trees grow with age. The earlier the tree is pruned, the better its chances are to have a longer life. A healthy tree will continue to benefit future generations for as long as it lives.
Young trees can recover more quickly than older, large trees. Trimming small branches now, for a few cents, can prevent the hundred-dollar cost of cutting down large branches in the future. As a rule of thumb, the larger or more intense the pruning procedure the longer it will take for the tree to heal.
Pruning trees gives volunteers the opportunity to learn about the importance of trees in our community. These programs also give student interns the opportunity to build valuable job skills. Pruning and tree-planting programs benefit both individuals and their wider environments.
How the pandemic increased tree pruning programs
Tree pruning is a “social-distancing friendly” activity: pruning is not a large group activity and it takes place 100% outdoors. As a result, 2021 became the biggest pruning season Friends of Trees has ever experienced. They had a 40% increase in trees pruned over the last season. During the pandemic, Friends of Trees and AnswerConnect are creating community-building experiences.
Learn more about how AnswerConnect is giving back to our Planet, through other tree planting initiatives here.
Images courtesy of Friends of Trees.
