Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 41(1): January 2015 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2015. 41(1): 49–50 49 Book Review Pleninger, A.G., and C.J. Luley. 2012. The ABCs Field Guide to Young and Small Tree Pruning. Visual LLC., Naples, New York, U.S. 84 pp. ISBN: 978-0-9767129-2-3 Intended for a broad audience ranging from trained professionals to beginners, this guide is an informative, enlightening, and practical resource. Composed by two well-known authorities in the field of urban tree management, the guidelines and recommendations published in The ABCs Field Guide to Young and Small Tree Pruning offer tremendous application to help prevent the eventual challenges associated with the somewhat grim reality that most young trees established in communities never receive proper pruning. Laid out in a user-friendly manner, this guide quickly sets the tone in the Preface, establish- ing this as a resource that enables individuals, regardless of their background, to correctly prune a tree using proper tools based on their “obser- vation of the tree” in front of them, as one looks to “improve the health and structure of that par- ticular tree.” This is in contrast with the common notion that one should prune in accordance with what they imagine a tree should look like, or that they should always prune in strict adher- ence to a set of idealized pruning protocols. Following this, the guide is divided into that follow the ABC(&D) theme: four sections duces and defines the concepts of “ABC” pruning. As part of Section A (About This Guide) briefly intro- the introduction, learning objectives are described and the reader is introduced to the systematic way in which the guide is composed. This is then reinforced by a pictorial flowchart that high- lights each of the book’s sections and key points. Section B (Bring Your Tools) identifies and outlines common pruning tools and their proper application, as well as the various pruning cuts Identification Series. Urban Forestry, applied in the practice of pruning. Rather than locating specialized terminology pertinent to proper tree pruning in sometimes less-than- accessible appendices, the authors explain key terms like scaffold branching, live branch area, and codominant stems, early in the section. Each page follows a similar, user-friendly, linear approach consisting of an introduction, followed by the objective and application. The two main types of pruning cuts (i.e., removal cuts and reduction/heading cuts) are discussed in detail along with many scenarios that one encounters while performing real-world pruning, including pruning conifer branches versus those on decid- uous trees, and pruning branches that occur without the presence of a branch bark ridge. This section wraps up by reiterating the impor- tance of using proper cuts, including the appli- cation of the standard Three-Step-Cut Method. Section C (Start Pruning—The ABC Method) immediately ties together the amount of prun- ing (i.e., the pruning “dose”) to the health of the tree, identifying for readers the importance of considering the age and well-being of a tree, rela- tive to its response to being pruned. Specifically, dose is defined as the “percentage of live-crown removed during a pruning event” and that it may be “monitored closely by piling the branches” next to the tree as the pruning takes place for a reference point relative to the amount of plant material being removed. The book also cau- tions that overpruning is a common occurrence. In keeping with its theme, this section of the book classifies tree form as being either a tree that is to be pruned with the idea of maintain- ing a single upright stem (form “A”) or as a tree to be pruned with the idea that the main stem will terminate into laterally growing branches (form “B”). The book then follows with many excellent photos and discussions advocating and detail- ing a pruning plan in accordance with these two ©2015 International Society of Arboriculture
January 2015
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