Pruning Objectives
Pruning objective should be established prior to beginning any pruning operation. ANSI A300 pruning standard provides two basic objectives:

Hazard Reduction Pruning
Hazard reduction pruning (HRP) is recommended when the primary objective is to reduce the hanger to a specific target caused by visibly defined hazards in a tree. For example, HRP may be the primary objective if a tree had many dead limbs over a park bench.

Maintenance Pruning
Maintenance pruning (MP) is recommended when the primary objective is to maintain or improve tree health and structure, and icludes hazard reduction pruning. An example here might be to perform an MP operation on a front yard tree.

Pruning Types...