Fruit-bearing trees, such as apples, must be pruned regularly in order to produce healthy crops of fruit. Pruning involves trimming away any dead limbs, and cutting vertical "suckers" (new growth). The dead limbs rob the living parts of the tree of valuable sunlight, and the vertical growth will not produce fruit. The goal is to give the tree a mushroom shape; this shape tree has been found to produce the most fruit.
Release cutting also helps the fruit-bearing trees to produce more fruit. Nearby trees that have overgrown the fruit-bearers are cut to provide the fruit-bearer more direct sunlight. In addition to improving the health and vigor of existing trees, the slash (brush piles) created by release cutting should greatly improve woodcock and grouse nesting cover, and the green limbs are used by deer and rabbits as browse.
Some of these projects are "prune and release"
while others are strictly planting projects.
Click here for a look at our spring
planting project.
Just click on the thumbnail (small picture) to see the larger version. Then, use your browsers back arrow (or button) to return to this page. Enjoy!
These pictures were taken December 18th, 1999, at our tree pruning project which took place at Camp Cornplanter on the Longhouse Scenic Drive. About 10 people showed up to help prune the apple trees, some of which had been partly ruined by bear. The temperature was about 10 degrees that morning, and although the sun was out, it didn't do much to warm up the fingers. Projects such as this are necessary to keep up the production of fruit, and also to keep the trees from getting too heavy on any one side which will cause the tree to split.
Here, members Guy Waldman and Merle Caldwell are cutting out the bigger branches and brush with chainsaws.
Club member Rob Abplanalp doing some pruning.
Scott Reitz, Wildlife Biologist with the Forestry, and member John Lorenzo working to stay warm. Scott is the person responsible for picking out the locations for projects such as this.
Finally, we build brush piles with all of the tree trimmings. Rabbits and other small animals will use the piles as a source of food and cover.
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At left (l to r), Members Don Schager and Jerry Spindler work to release cut around an apple tree. The ironwood trees being cut have overgrown the apple tree, depriving it of valuable sunlight. |
| At right (l to r), Camp Member Jack Homa and Member Leo Quatman prune an apple tree with pruning sticks provided by the USFS. |
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04/26/2007