West Coast Arborists, Inc. will perform all tree maintenance in accordance with the Standards adopted by the American National Standard for Tree Care Operations (ANSI A300) and the Best Management Practices, a supplement from the International Society of Arboriculture Pruning Standards. Final pruning cut will be made without leaving stubs. Cuts will be made in a manner to promote fast callous growth. Representative photographs depicting “before and after” trimming are included in this proposal. West Coast Arborists, Inc. will clean all job sites when work is completed, including the raking of leaves, twigs, etc. from the lawn and parkway and the sweeping of streets. All resulting debris will be removed from the work site daily and properly disposed of at the end of each work day.

Benefits of proper tree pruning include reduced risk of branch and stem breakage, better clearance for vehicles and pedestrians, improved health and appearance, enhanced view, increased flowering. When improperly performed, pruning can harm the tree's health, stability, and appearance. Several consequences occur when pruning is not performed at all. These consequences include development of low limbs; weak, co-dominant stems; defects such as included bark; and accumulation of dead branches. Formation of co-dominant stems and defects such as included bark can lead to increased risk of breakage.

No tree should be pruned without first establishing clearly defined objectives. Seven main objectives are described, along with pruning types that help meet those objectives. These objectives serve as examples and can be expanded or shortened to meet site conditions and customer expectations. Even with proper pruning cuts, if the wrong branchesor too many branchesare removed, nothing of merit has been accomplished.

Objectives of pruning:

Nine pruning types are used in arboriculture to achieve the objective of the tree's owner or manager. Pruning types include structural, cleaning, thinning, raising, reducing, restoring, and pollarding. Pruning palms and conifers and pruning for utility line clearance are other types of pruning.