- 1). Trim the trees between December and March, which is the season that growth is at a standstill. Pruning them during the growing season can easily lead to disease and insect infestation.
- 2). Prune young burr oak trees as little as possible in their first two years of growing. The roots need time to become established.
- 3). Choose the strongest vertical branch to be the central leader or trunk for the tree. Use shears to remove other shoots that grow next to it, competing with it.
- 4). Do more pruning in the second to fifth years. Cut off lateral branches that grow straight up along the central leader branch.
- 5). Climb a ladder and trim off branches that are too large. They should be less than half the diameter of the trunk.
- 6). Remove branches with V-shaped joints, which are not as strong as U-shaped ones, when the tree is five to ten years old. Use pole pruners to reach into the canopy.
- 7). Raise the burr oak's crown by cutting off limbs that face downward from the bottom of the canopy. Crown raising will improve the tree's shape and allow for clearance below.
- 8). Saw off diseased, damaged or dead limbs as soon as you spot them. Trim them at the point where they meet healthy branches.
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