"Any advantage to replacing the dug out soil with composted black dirt from a nursery?"

NO!!!!!!!! Bad! Very very bad!

"Should pruning be held off until the tree is established?"

Yes, unless there are dead, diseased, or rubbing branches.

I think the link below will answer most of your questions about planting trees and shrubs. If it doesn't, or you have further questions, PLEASE ask.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub

hey.. you beat me to it.. lol ...

native soil out.. native soil in ... NO AMENDMENTS ...

trees NEVER EVER 'NEED' fertilizer.. unless a soil test indicates something is lacking in the soil .... and i plant i pure yellow mineral sand .... so a soil test wouldnt hurt ..

but you did not tell us what your soil type is ... probably the most important variable ...

i get my wood chips from tree cutters .... wood is wood.. you are mulching above ground.. NOT INCORPORATING.. so.. IMHO... wood is wood ...

PROPER watering involves watering WHEN THE TREE NEEDS WATER .... its an art.. not a science.. so there is no schedule ... insert finger into the soil.. thru the mulch ... and let trees nearly dry in between waterings .... and then water deeply into the root zone ...

more leaves.. means more power generation.. means faster root growth .. means faster establishment..

pruning off the leaves would seem counter-intuitive would it not .... except for damaged or crossing branches ...

ken

don't stake unless the tree is tipping in the wind... all but 2 of my trees I planted last summer are now stable and need no staking support during even the most strong of winds.

Remove existing stakes as soon as the tree can support itself on it's own. Leaving stakes in for years does more harm then good.

Cut the rootball of all pot-bound trees before planting.. I went down an inch 4-5 times on the sides and twice on the bottom of all my rootbound transplants, and dug in with my fingers to make sure I got all circling roots, and although some had transplant shock, they are all fine and healthy this year.

Make sure the root flare is exposed. Many trees planted in pots are transplanted numerous times, and transplanted deep, so the root flare is actually several inches underneath the soil surface. Plant the tree roughly in line to where the flare is.. the topmost roots will die but it will not harm the tree in the long run.

umm.. water slow and deep? We know that already.

Anything else I'm missing? Use native soil, have a wide planting hole (a rule I will admit I violated though we have deep, rich soil here)