This tree's branches were growing too close together, so one of the "rubbing branches" needed to be removed.
With February’s storm pulling Department of Public Works crews into snow removal on the streets, the usual round of winter tree pruning didn’t happen as scheduled. The storm also created treacherous conditions in the parks, with trees and limbs blocking trails almost everywhere. Now that the snow is melting, it’s time to deal with these challenges. This morning’s gathering, hosted by the Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and the American Public Works Association, armed local tree care crews with some of the knowledge they’ll need to make their cuts wisely.
These crews will have their work cut out for them: in Frick Park alone, two massive oak trees fell on a bridge in the Falls Ravine section, while the grassy area by the Falls Ravine Shelter is covered in downed limbs. Dick Wilford, the foreman of both Frick Park and Mellon Park, said that Frick Park’s mulberries were particularly hard-hit, as were the Japanese yews and white pines in Mellon Park. In some cases, cleanup still cannot begin because it isn’t safe to use tractors on the trails or chainsaws on the slopes while there’s still snow on the ground. And with mowing season right around the corner, getting these limbs off the ground can’t happen fast enough.
Gregg from the City of Pittsburgh prunes the rubbing branch.
- Phil’s philosophy is that if you care for trees properly when they are young, you shouldn’t have to prune anything but dead wood when the trees are mature. You should take care of things like rubbing branches, co-dominant stems, and limbs that interfere with other trees before the trees get too large. You should never remove more than 20-25% of the live wood of a young tree in one season, and you should be even more sparing when pruning older trees. Also with young trees, you shouldn’t prune more than half of the limbs that are on the lower two-thirds of the tree–the low branches encourage the tree trunk to flare properly and make the tree stronger while it’s becoming established.
- Most trees should be pruned during the winter, with the exception of early bloomers like witch hazel and cherry trees. Pruning too soon before spring can disrupt flowering, so you should prune these when they are done blooming.
- You should always make three cuts when pruning: first, a cut under the stem (on the “compression” wood), then a cut over the stem (the “tension” wood), and then a finish cut that leaves a clean wound with no stump.
- The bark of elm trees becomes very spongey as winter rolls on, so try to prune them in December or January to avoid ripping the bark.
- If you’re pruning trees that are susceptible to disease, you should disinfect your tools between each tree (Clorox works fine). For example, if you prune a tree with oak wilt without disinfecting your tools, you may infect the next tree.
- And finally…Phil reports that while the group was pruning today, they noticed that the maples are already bleeding sap. So you heard it here first…spring is here!
Phil in his element.
I’ve been considering a visit to Riverview since November, and I think this was a promising first experience. The entrance is somewhat hidden, it turns out, and I enjoyed that. Tucked away at the end of a pleasant, unassuming residential street, the park’s snow-covered sign welcomes you at street level. But when you look up and to the right it is the dome-shaped towers of Allegheny Observatory that greet you from its hilltop. Somewhat dormant in the winter, this University of Pittsburgh research building will open its doors for evening lectures on astronomy in April, or so I read on the window of the locked front door. I think I’ll add this to my To Do list for spring, noting that reservations are required but that the lectures are free—and include a tour at the end. 
Walking back down the hill, passing a few dogs and a runner, I decided to tour the rest of the park on wheels inside my new 22-year-old Subaru wagon. Back down at the welcome sign, you have the option to turn right, toward the Observatory, but you can also go left. Following the road this way you are taken into the winding trance of Riverview Drive where several more runners can be seen in sunny weather. Maybe they can also be seen during heavy snowfall, too, I don’t know. I didn’t make it out last month to check on this …
For the past three years, Jeremy Feinstein has been involved with the Parks Conservancy and serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the past two. Mr. Feinstein is a partner at 
We’re excited to announce that for the month of March, you can get a 15% discount on your entire purchase at the Parks Conservancy’s online store! 
Soon Frick Park will have an innovative new space for outdoor learning, dedicated to the memory of two children who loved to play in the park.
With an outpouring of support from community members, Amy has raised money to begin designing Kate & Peter’s memorial. Amy has asked the Parks Conservancy to act as project managers. I will be working closely with Amy during the project development and we plan to include community members, and especially children, in the design process. Kate & Peter’s memorial will use as many natural materials as possible and will provide young children the chance to discover the wonder of nature and create imaginary worlds of their own. 
The Garden
The Gates
Pale Male
A Sense of Wonder
