[College of ACES] [University of Illinois] [Illinois CES]

Re: "TRIM" trees

clearcut@ptialaska.net
Mon, 5 Jan 1998 16:56:33 -0600

>I keep hearing the word "trim" trees in many of your >postings. Do the ISA advocate the word "trim" as part of >the certified arborist scheme? If not, then why does >everyone continue to use it as part of their tree work >specification. The word prune and trim and not so >different in dictionary terms, however, prune seems the >more professional. Prune = crown thinning, reduction, >removal of undesirables eg. dead wood, crossing branches >etc. Trim = keep neat and tidy. Its pretty difficult to >keep a tree neat and tidy, unless of course you have it >take a bath each day, comb it a little, afix a bow and ask >it to smile now and again!

Trim = 1. To rid of excess and remove by cutting or pruning.
2. To cut off or out, ANY dead or living wood that the customer finds offensive (implied or stated), or you do, including tops of trees, and may include any portion of that tree, all the way to the root tips. ( origin from the Alaskan term, "I trimmed the forest and I think I like it" )

Pruning = 1. To remove or trim out that which is superflous ( Old French origin )
2. An arborist consuming great amounts of partially dried plums in order to create an overhead hazard for those below him(her) as a safety lesson to the ground crew. ( of Latin origin )