Cutting off lower branches on cedars/cypress for aesthetics?

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Vancouver

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Everyone in this area removes all the lower branches on their cedars(red)and othe evergreens to open up the yard to sun light , etc and to make the yard look better, etc.. It really does improve the yard . I'm wondering if the branches higher up just bend down to get the sun where the lower branches used to be? Does this harm the tree?
 
You will get some interesting responses about potential harm in removing lower branches. My own experience is that doing so is acceptable if it isn't overdone.(i.e. do not remove a very large percentage of live branches in one operation and don't go to extremes even in the long term).
 
There is a poster here who refers to a thing he calls tree time. Tree time is much longer than people time. It can take years for a tree to show signs that it was damaged by the things people do to them. Your trees may have the potential to live 300 years on average, you on the other hand, will live in your house for 7 years on average.
Cutting off lower limbs is bad for the tree, but as Stumpy mentioned, if done conservatively, will only shave 50 or 100 years off the trees life expectancy. You'll be long gone by then.
Removing lower limbs has a compounding effect on the tree. For example, once you remove lower limbs you will need to plant grass, mow that grass(soil compaction), bump the tree with the mower, buy a bigger mower 'cus the lawns bigger(more soil compaction bigger bumps on the trunk), buy a weed eater(you will really cut the tree's bark). All this new grass disrupts the soil ecology. Grass competes with the tree for water, oxygen, and nutrients.
The new sun light dries the soil and reduces soil temperature moderation, as well as invigorate the grass. This makes for a harsh environment for benificial soil microorginisms(and tree roots), another strike against the tree. And that's just the begining.
Do you want to leave a beautiful tree for the next generations, or do you want a beautiful yard now?
 
Sorry, I can't seem to stop quoting

Harris, 83 ed. pg. 422:

"...the removal of low branches might increase stress along the lower trunk, immediately below the new lowest branch, and on the root system"
and:
"...keep in mind that at least one-half of the foliage should be on branches originating on the lower two-thirds of the trunk."

I think another problem with over-raising of the crown is that it stimulates elongation growth in the tops, and therefore increases leverage and wind-sail.

On the other hand, if one raises it a little bit at a time, say a couple of feet per year, and then mulches underneath, there could be a net benefit to the tree, through soil structure improvement.
 
Re: Sorry, I can't seem to stop quoting

Originally posted by FBerkel
On the other hand, if one raises it a little bit at a time, say a couple of feet per year, and then mulches underneath, there could be a net benefit to the tree, through soil structure improvement.


I have to disagree.
The tree itself makes the best mulch for itself.
Once you remove lower limbs the soil is exposed to sunlight, increased traffic, and soil compaction. Do you recall how many pounds per square inch a human foot creates?
Once those limbs are removed, the tree loses it's defense against the people that will inevitably drive cars, trucks, mowers, construction equipment, and other soil compactors over the roots.
Once those beds are opened, they look so bland and need new plantings. A rototiller is the perfect tool to loosen the planting bed. I've seen it done hundreds of times. Edging will need to be cut in also, nice and deep.
What formal landscape can survive without a sprinkler system? To get best results from head arrangement, the pipe system should form a complete circle around the tree, buried 12" deep. A trencher works best for this. Stay close to the trunk though, you don't want to damage any of the lawn outside the 12" wide chip circles.
Those chips should come from a tree service. Hopefully nice chips from a recently removed tree dead from Virt Wilt or a jucey fungal canker. It doesn't have to be though, with annual applications you're sure to pick some up along the way.
In a few years when the new hmeowner brings in a skidstreer to remove the chips and plant grass, that won't be a problem anymore.
With those chips out of the way, it'll be a good time to fill in those low spots and/or cut down those high spots. The Bobcat won't be quite big enough, after all these will be big grade changes. Perhaps a D-9?
Without the lower limbs, backing the quad axle dump trucks of fill in will be very easy.
Make sure not to put any soil against the trunk though.
 
I'm always planting new trees so not worried about killing trees too much. There are some 75 year cedars on the property. Their branches all point down which makes them look lousy. I don't want to cut lower branches if it encourages this because it makes the tree look mutilated. I've noticed that properties that have all cedars seem to look quite nice. Spruce and cedar look ugly together. I like the mass effect of all the same colour. A few large maples seems ok, though. Neighbours , of course, have sun because they cut down all their trees.
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I have found trying to make nature look or act in a way other than that which genetics dictates is a fools errand.

Work with not against. Try some spiral thinning instead. You will achieve light and air filtration without the damage listed in many of the previous responses.
 
Grass does compete for root space water, air, nutrients ,also alleopathy, meaning it exudes a chemical to help deal with its competition, simular to a wanut tree. Grasses emit this chemical in varying degrees depending on species. bermuda grass being near the top.

John Kakouris
I only claim the
first time certified arborist wcisa 1988:alien:
 
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