Fine Pruning
Where Art Meets Science​
Some specimens warrant exceptional and ongoing attention to bring out their essential character. We have trained in aesthetic and Japanese pruning techniques to manifest the extraordinary.
Fine pruning leans into art. It is living sculpture. It is the practice of seeing and fostering of the essence of a tree. The Maple below is marked by the incredible movement of its branches and the delicacy of its foliage. Pruning something like this, we would make scores of very fine cuts at the tips which encourage new growth to meander. We'd look for opportunities to remove growth that feels too linear and we'd look to create little gaps in the canopy so that from afar there are windows to the interior that allow the great structural form to be enjoyed year round.​
Photo by Tom Schwabel
Pruning large trees may seem like a more complicated and higher stakes operation, but with smaller and more delicate specimens it's incredibly easy to make irrevocable choices that wreck the form. Excellent pruning leaves a specimen looking simultaneously untouched while also being the best version of itself. The practice takes years of experience and training.