multi lead oak trees - Ask Extension
I have a 15 yr old oak that does not have a single leader. It appears that the leader evolved into a triple leader. A tree trimmer wants to cut away ...
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multi lead oak trees #781702
Asked February 11, 2022, 12:53 PM EST
I have a 15 yr old oak that does not have a single leader. It appears that the leader evolved into a triple leader. A tree trimmer wants to cut away the smaller leaders to structurally create a single leader so that the tree group up instead of out. Is that recommended?
Adams County Colorado
Expert Response
Hey Anne,
The short story is that the answer is yes. You want to encourage the tree to have a single leader. Removing competing leaders when they are small (less than 2"-4" in diameter) is much less risky for the tree than waiting till they are larger to deal with the issue.
There are a lot of things that go into pruning a young tree. You can find more information here: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/613.pdf
Hope this helps, if you have further questions please let me know.
The short story is that the answer is yes. You want to encourage the tree to have a single leader. Removing competing leaders when they are small (less than 2"-4" in diameter) is much less risky for the tree than waiting till they are larger to deal with the issue.
There are a lot of things that go into pruning a young tree. You can find more information here: https://cmg.extension.colostate.edu/Gardennotes/613.pdf
Hope this helps, if you have further questions please let me know.
