For years now I've been throwing caution to the wind,
but prudence is my new game plan!

This time of year is when winter pruning needs to be done as it has for the past 10 years. Removing lateral branches on the specialty timber we are growing, Black Walnut, Black Cherry, and Figured poplar trees will produce high-quality timber that one day will be harvested by our children. The hardwoods we are growing, if done correctly, should fetch a good buck.

Of course, I will not be around when this occurs, unless I live to 100 like my Aunt Eileen. But in the interim, playing it safe has become my new gig. The Husqvarna Pole Saw will keep my ass on the ground as I remove the lateral branches that keep getting higher every year.

In the past, the only way I could reach the branches that needed to be removed was to climb up a ladder with my chainsaw in hand. Reaching out while suspended in the air with my body contorted in order to position myself just right to produce the perfect cut is hazardous. @farm-mom just wouldn't put up with this high-wire act anymore and suggested getting a pole saw. 😁

Not only would I have a new toy to play with, but the weather was also unseasonably warm for this time of year. The snow that had blanked the ground had melted and that in itself would make the job a lot easier. With the daytime temp reaching 50 degrees Fahrenheit, hobbitizing in what felt like a tropic zone had me smiling from ear to ear as I made my way from one tree to the next.

This picture is from June 2020.

This aerial boom was necessary to reach the top of this tree in order to establish the central leader. Most of the trees have now reached the height where this is no longer necessary. The only trimming required at this point is the removal of the lateral branches. The goal is to remove all of the lateral branches up to 20 feet from the base of the tree. Doing this will produce two bolts of timber.

The tree in the previous picture is the one you see here.

It's the first tree I trimmed using the new saw. The branches that had to be removed were about 18 feet up. With the saw extending to a height of 14 feet, reaching what needed to be cut was a piece of cake.

Boy, that was fun.

Just a few moments after finishing, a #featheredfriend decided to survey the situation. I'm not sure he liked what was going on. This Black Walnut tree is just around the corner from our bird feeders and is a favorite place for them to perch in between visits to the eatery that never closes.

Time to get busy while the warm weather is present!

When removing the lateral branches, you want to remove branches that are on opposite sides of the tree.

Trimming this way will keep the tree balanced and help it to grow straight.

Some trees don't require lateral pruning every year. In just a few hours I had trimmed the trees in the top plantation that need pruning. In the past, this would have taken me the better part of a day.

For the wound to heal quicker, thus having less of a risk for disease and insect infestation, the branches shouldn't be trimmed flush to the trunk of the tree. Leaving a stub of 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch will quicken the healing process.

#Nature never ceases to amaze me. In the bottom right quadrant of this collage, you can see a wound that is still closing as the tree's sapwood grows around it. Just below the opened wound, you can see that the tree has totally engulfed where the branch was removed. It takes a few years for this to happen.

Whoops, this is an example of exactly what you don't want to do.

I didn't leave even a hint of a stub. My bad, let's blame it on my inexperience with the new saw. In early spring this wound will be sprayed with a sealer to protect the area.

After completing the winter pruning, I realized that the pole saw could also be used to reach brush that before had to be cut while standing smack in the middle of it. This should save me a couple of pints of blood every year.

27 pounds doesn't sound like a lot but after hobbitizing with the saw for five hours, with my arms extended upwards and outwards for that period of time my upper body did get a little sore.

I know, stop your whining, at least I didn't have to move a ladder around.

For goodness's sake be careful.