Quick pruning question

[dmonn]

I need to help out a relative. He's got a white birch tree that's got a limb hanging over stuff that needs more sunlight. I've never worked on a white birch, so I'm looking for advice. The limb is about a 3 inch branch coming from a 10 inch diameter stem. It's in central Wisconsin.

Any issues regarding pruning a white birch in mid-summer? I know you never prune elms in the summer, and it seems like most trees are best pruned in early spring.

It seems like birch bark is pretty tender, so I'll def use a friction/cambium saver for any moving rope applications. The union is up about 15 feet with lots of large trees nearby for rigging and work positioning. I'll probably do a little deadwooding on it and other trees while I'm there. I usually climb SRT but have been playing around a bit with MRS for work positioning.

 

[evo]

Around here we have bronze birch borer. My understanding is pretty much most borers and beetles are attracted to fresh pruning wounds. Susceptible trees are best pruned when the bugs are not looking for new hosts (mid summer, depending on region).

Then when the sap is flowing, birch can “bleed” from pruning cuts. This doesn’t really affect the tree, and some studies show it’s beneficial. However the sugar content of the sap can cause black sooty mold which can be a cosmetic concern on white bark.

From the physiological aspect of tree biology, pruning durning the growing season is best.

I pretty much follow the saying “prune when the tools are sharp” but I’m pretty lucky in the PNW coastal region

 

[Jonny]

From your description, it sounds like you could do it with a pole saw. No?

 

[dmonn]

I could probably prune the 3 inch branch with a pole saw, but there's a large diameter (6-inch) piece of a broken limb (4 ft long) that's up about 20 feet off the ground, that hangs right over where people like to sit. Gotta climb for that one.