Maintenance pruning of shelterbelts is practised for three main reasons.
Dead, diseased or storm damaged branches are removed for reasons of safety, appearance, and disease control. Secondly, branches that interfere with powerlines, machinery operations or pose a threat to property need to be removed. Finally pruning is carried out to improve the appearance of the shelterbelt by removing suckers and interfering or wide-spreading branches. However, unlike shade trees which are pruned up to accent their form, in shelterbelts the removal of lower branches should be done only if there is a need to change the density of the windbreak. However, in practice it may be more desirable to prune in mid-summer when the trees are in full leaf in order to easily locate dead limbs or branches lacking in vigour.