Tips on pruning spruce trees

We don't often do Spruce tree pruning, especially for clearance reductions.

Please keep in mind that they don't grow like deciduous trees do.

A few tips to remember:

Cutting back to laterals is ok, but limbs will not regrow at that point (where they are cut) so only do this if the laterals are enough to maintain the tree shape

If you are making a heading cut on a limb, keep a few buds intact. Spruce foliage grows from buds, not from open cuts.

Despite what people (or the internet) may say, August is a great time, maybe the best time, to prune Spruce.

Raising any low limbs off the ground is a great way to protect against fungal infection (not too high, just not touching the ground)

Fork pruning is likely the best method for clearance while maintaining a natural shape. You may skip the first or even second fork if necessary to reach the desired amount of clearance needed.

Here is a quick guide that covers a few basic concepts.

https://www.finegardening.com/project-guides/pruning/pruning-firs-douglas-firs-and-spruces#:~:text=Fork%20pruning&text=This%20method%20allows%20the%20tree,back%20to%20the%20junction%20point.

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