Tree pruning is one of the most common practices to be conducted for city landscape management or within the private lands. The objectives of tree pruning are to avoid or to minimize the calamities and to keep the canopy shape as desired. Initially, the tree pruning was conducted by removing some branches of the lowest part of canopy or cutting the outer most branches of the lowest part of canopy. However, these past few years, I have observed there are some changes in degree of branch cutting when prune the tree canopy. Henceforth, I found the pruning was conducted in drastic way where the canopy was leaved behind as branches only. For further example, I saw many times of severe way in tree pruning where the whole canopy was totally cut off to which the trees resemble more as sticks those stand on the road side. I have been questioning myself “to what reason this radical pruning was for since it may alter the tree architecture, jeopardize the tree health, and put further threat to the surround as the effect tree architecture alterations?” I answered this question recently “it is probably for the reason of “simplicity”: ease the work and further simplify the task as the next pruning will be done probably in three years or more to go.”

The act of tree pruning is a systemic human demand. The city council and the citizen see the need to beautify the city landscape by planting trees. The act of tree planting however is random subject to the intention of occupying the open spaces. Due to expansion of urban area, demand on land use has increased that cause direct pressures onto the size of open spaces. On the other hand, to be synergy with developments, the changes on city landscape are performed within a short period of time. To meet these complex demands, “instant trees” should be planted as example. Such these trees are largely the clone ones and planted without their tap root. As the sizes of open space have been reduced and means for mobility have been increased, the planted trees now are seen as one of the major obstacles for the circulations. At the earlier time, the canopy was trimmed by cutting the outer most branches. With the raise of inquiries, the trees have been punned to “zero” canopy.

The trees may recover from their injuries and advancing their live. For the zero canopy pruning, the next branches will repeat the morphology of the main stem and form ‘extension stick” look. The new branches can be fragile. In addition, this “extension stick” branches causes stress onto tree balance. Coupled with the absent of root tap, the unbalance trees happen to be unstable. Such these circumstances are certainly a real threat to citizens and properties.


Partial pruning and "extension stick" form Khaya senegalensis.


Total and partial canopy pruning of Hopea odorata


Degree of total canopy pruning of Pterocarpus indica


Hidden rotten stem of Samanea saman


The other part of rotten stem.


Re-planting same species (Fagraea fragrans). The previous trees was attacked fungus.