Young chinkapin oak pruning

4 months ago

I planted this chinkapin oak as a 3 foot sapling in fall of 2021. Other than snipping off lower branches as it slowly increased in height, I've left it alone. Last year it really started to shoot up in height, so I'm guessing this upcoming summer it's going to put on a lot of growth. I usually plant bigger trees...this is my first time with a sapling so I'm unsure if I should start with some light pruning this year to encourage a better and stronger branching habit. The lowest branch (pointing towards the fence) is about 3.5' from the ground. The Y above it is about 4' from the ground. The left side of the Y is definitely bigger in diameter and appears to be the dominant, however it is skewing off to the left pretty drastically.

I considered removing the lowest branch and leaving the Y....as the angle in the Y isn't too bad. I also considered removing the right side of the Y to encourage a single leader...although that leader is pretty crooked. Or should I leave it alone another growing season and reassess in the late fall?

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Comments (4)

bengz6westmd
4 months ago
last modified: 4 months ago
It's up to you. A fork like that on an oak is usually not an issue because the wood is very tough and little chance of splitting. Then again, if you cut off the smaller of the fork, the tree would look unbalanced, but eventually since it's so young, that unbalance would disappear after some yrs.

Personally, I like having a low branch on young trees because you've got leaves close up to admire, and a low branch can rather easily be removed later (or not).
BillMN-z4a
4 months ago
That second highest fork *is* the competing leader and removing it is called 'structure pruning'.

The lower one is more horizontal and can be left there for some time yet (until ~2" dia).

The bigger question is, do you want a wide spreading tree that starts spreading lower to the ground? Or do you want the dominant leader to continue developing the tree upward in a more balanced form?

I personally like to have a main trunk on a larger tree, ~6ft up before branching begins. To me it just looks better over time.

There will come a time when the tree will be too big to keep it pruned and at that time, trimming will stop and the tree will do what it will.
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Joe Williams
Original Author
4 months ago
Yes, I do prefer a more central leader with at least 5-6' of clearance underneath. I agree with the lowest branch, it could be left a couple more years before removal. As far as the "Y"....would completely removing it be the correct thing...With the hopes that the main, somewhat crooked dominant leader would straighten up somewhat over time?
BillMN-z4a
4 months ago
I would take the 'Y' off completely, remembering to leave the branch collar so the tree will encapsulate the wound promptly.

As far as the straightness of the tree goes, in nature, few trees grow like 'popsicles' with a perfectly straight trunk and no one can say if the tree will straighten out by itself over time, sometimes they do.

Open grown trees, like yours, do have a tendency to grow in more of wide form.

And the 'Y' in question did cause the main trunk to grow away, to gain more sunshine so, technically, it should've been removed earlier.

If it really bothers you, an attempt at driving a tall stake a few feet away, on the side you desire, then pulling the tree towards the stake using a soft, stretchable material, for a season or two, may straighten it some, if not completely.

But IMO: After several to many years, you will have a full beautiful, tall tree with the slight angle of the trunk, either gone or hardly noticable.