Pruning Dave the Elm

Yes, it's the season - pruning season!  You may be familiar with Dave the Elm from an earlier posting.  I'm not emotionally attached to the annuals, bulbs, or perennials, but my trees and shrubs are something else, especially Dave.  Trees do best when they have good structure and Dave was, well, rather unkempt.

Very shaggy!

You should prune elms between November and March when the insect population is dormant to minimize the risk of Dutch Elm Disease spread by elm leaf beetles.  We've had two elms within about a block succumb to Dutch Elm and Dave has been squeaky clean.  I asked my friend B, a certified arborist, to come and clean out Dave as he's just a bit large for me to handle.  I cannot stress enough using a certified arborist to work with your trees.  I have made the mistake once of having a removal done by some guy with a truck. Never ever again.  Certified arborists have been trained and must continue their education to keep their certification.  They work with trees daily, and really understand structure. Plus, they have the right tools and safety gear for the job.  B was roped in, not just hanging off a ladder.

Pruning, pruning, pruning

B and I were quite aggressive, but it was very necessary to make sure future growth is going the direction that we want.  Dave also had quite a few dead twigs due to the cicadas of 2007.

All done and elegant!

Isn't he lovely?  The robins might be a bit pissed off as we took out one of their favorite branches, but I'm sure they will manage.