Arborist’s Guide to Tree Pruning: How and When to Cut Trees the Right Way

If you’ve ever searched for tree trimming or tree pruning services near me, you’ve probably noticed those two terms often get used interchangeably. But while both involve cutting branches, tree pruning and tree trimming are terms that usually have slightly different meanings. Most arborists prefer the term pruning (unless we’re discussing trimming of certain shrubs), and generally some clarification about expectations is required when we have a client requesting tree trimming.

In this post, certified arborist Sosha explains why proper pruning matters, the best time to prune your trees, and what sets professional tree pruning services apart from tree trimming or tree topping. 

Why Tree Pruning Matters

While we generally advocate for minimal intervention with nature whenever possible, and some trees will maintain good health and nice form naturally, many of the trees in our urban & suburban environments require a little assistance with consistent, proper pruning.

Tree pruning isn’t just about shaping trees for looks (although we can often help you balance your aesthetic goals with pruning that is good for tree health); it’s about promoting healthy structure, safety, and long-term vitality.

Benefits of proper pruning:

• Removes dead, damaged, or diseased limbs before problems spread or property damage happens
• Improves airflow and sunlight penetration
• Reduces storm damage risk or mitigates risk to your house or other property
• Encourages healthy new growth and stronger branch unions
• Protects property and people from falling limbs

👉 Pro tip: Over-pruning or improper cuts can permanently damage a tree. That’s why hiring a certified arborist for tree pruning is worth it.

 Tree Pruning vs. Tree Trimming

What the heck is the difference between tree pruning and tree trimming? Why do arborists prefer the term pruning?

While they sound similar, and the term trimming isn’t inherently incorrect, we often find that people use these words to mean different things in terms of the purpose and intention of the work to be done on the tree:

Bottom line:

Tree pruning can help with many property and tree health goals such as: keeping trees healthy & strong, providing clearance from your home, or reducing risks to your home or other property. If you just want to tidy up appearances for shrubs or certain pruning-tolerant species, trimming may be appropriate.

Note: We can often help you meet purely aesthetic goals with proper pruning, but this is not always the case. We will always let you know if we think your aesthetic pruning goal is likely to cause long-term damage to your tree or increased risk to your home!

What about tree topping?

Tree topping is the outdated practice of tree cutting with the goal of reducing the overall size of your tree to force it to fit into the space you have, or keep it from growing over your house, etc. This is considered bad practice today, and certified arborists will generally not be willing to help you top your trees.

Why is it bad?

Tree topping is harmful to trees and no longer considered a proper pruning practice because it removes large sections of a tree’s canopy, leaving it vulnerable to disease, decay, structural weakness, or even death. Topped trees often respond by producing numerous fast-growing, weakly attached shoots, which can break easily and create safety hazards. Instead of improving tree health or appearance, topping stresses the tree, shortens its lifespan, and can lead to costly damage — which is why certified arborists always recommend proper pruning techniques over topping.

But what if my tree is too big?

Arborists are not magicians, and unfortunately we cannot force a tree to stay smaller than its mature size. All trees want to reach their full mature size, and pruning to keep them smaller is a losing battle that will result in sick trees and increased risks to your property. The best cure for a tree that is too large for the space it has to grow is not planting it there.

Our first choice to solve this problem is proper species selection and planting trees that will fit into the landscape at their mature size with enough room to grow and maintain good health, and proper planting to avoid many of the common root-causes (pun intended) of tree pest and disease issues. Sometimes we may recommend tree removal followed by planting with a more appropriate species.

Our second choice is to utilize treatments with plant growth regulators to slow the growth and buy you more time with your tree in it’s non-ideal location while also providing some health benefits to your tree.

When to Prune Your Trees

The best timing depends on species, goals/scope of the project, and local climate — but generally speaking we are fortunate to be able to prune year round here in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.

Winter Pruning

Pruning trees in winter is ideal for major pruning work because trees are dormant, and not actively relying on their leaves for photosynthesis. This minimizes stress and helps direct new growth once spring begins. Even in the winter, there are still limits to how much to prune at once. Sometimes for very large pruning projects (removing a co-dominant trunk that makes up a third of the canopy, for example) we may have to break the project into multiple phases over 2-3 years of dormant-season pruning service visits.

Summer Pruning

Most pruning projects on healthy trees can still be completed even during the summer, but we’d recommend avoiding very heavy pruning (especially for stressed trees) in the middle of summer– save these for the winter.

What Proper Pruning Looks Like

Proper pruning takes skill and understanding of tree biology.
A professional tree pruning service job includes:

• Assessing tree health and understanding the species growth patterns
• Making clean cuts just outside the branch collar (never flush cuts or excessive stubs!)
• Avoiding “topping” or excessive removal
• When pruning out tree limbs infected with fungal diseases: using sanitized, sharp tools to prevent disease spread

If someone offers tree cutting that involves “topping” or removing large sections of canopy, that’s not pruning — it’s damaging.

Why Hire Certified Arborists for Pruning?

Tree work isn’t just about tools; it’s about expertise.
Certified arborists understand species-specific needs and proper pruning standards (ANSI A300).

Professional arborists ensure:

• Proper technique and safety protocols
• Compliance with industry best practices & procedures
• Long-term health of your trees
• Clean, natural-looking results

When you’re searching for tree pruning services near me, look for ISA-certified arborists — not just anyone with a chainsaw.

Schedule Your Tree Pruning Service

Proper pruning keeps your trees healthy, your property safe, and your landscape beautiful year-round.

👉 Contact us today to schedule professional tree pruning services.
Our arborists can assess your trees, recommend the right approach, and help them thrive for decades to come.