At the end of the season after leaf fall, inspect the tree and make any necessary corrective cuts. The tip of the main trunk of a young shade tree should not be cut back. Heading back, as is practiced, is not beneficial to most trees and often results in undesirable forks in the main trunk. This is especially true of species that fork, such as elm and maple. Side branches can be shortened at planting if desired.
Pecans are a unique tree species.
Their survival is greatly increased if the trunk is cut back one half of its length at planting and the resulting growth trained to be a central leader. Street tree limbs should not be closer than eight feet to the ground, and should be at least 10 feet or more above ground. Fruit trees and their ornamental types should not have branches closer than four or five feet above the ground, or they should be planted where their lower branches would not interfere. Other species such as Japanese maple, purple leaf plum, and ornamental cherries require little training other than to remove tangled or crossed branches that interfere with each other. A few cuts now and then should keep such trees developing well.