The Importance of Lower Limbs

You see it everywhere, trees missing their bottom limbs, being cut early at the nursery to create a taller tree, and so you can mow around, walk around, drive close to, or to clear a roof or let sun in, etc. The bottom limbs of a tree are of great importance. They should be left to grow because they help establish a healthy taper to the trunk, they shade the trunk, they protect the trunk from sap suckers, they provide shade to the ground in the root area and provide shade for young seedlings. They keep the weeds down around the tree in the root area. They also add stability to the tree and allow the tree to grow at a correct rate and size. They are safer trees in the wind with the bottom ballast weight and in the  rains by the way they shed the water farther out to assist the roots in growing wide and prevent mud splash, and water from soaking too close to the tree trunk and over wetting the soil too close to the buttress roots and trunk. They prevent somewhat the feline habit of claw scratching, they prevent deer access to antler rubbing. They make it harder to approach so to protect the trunk from mechanical damage.  

”Love a tree and leave the lower limbs.” ~ HP