James S. Wood / Arizona Daily Star

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Our recent cold snaps have left deciduous trees leafless and bare. With stems and branching structures revealed, it's now an excellent time to prune them.

Our common deciduous trees include Arizona ash, desert hackberry, red bud, crape myrtle and mulberry.

Trees should be trimmed using the thinning method. This is the selective removal of individual branches, either back to the main trunk or to the originating branch. Never make random cuts. Even when pruning small stems, cut them off just above a side shoot or stem.

Thinning can be used to shape a tree, control its size, remove unwanted interior growth, remove dead wood and eliminate crossing or competing branches.

For shaping and size control on trees, choose longer branches that protrude out from the tree's canopy. Reduce the length of these branches by cutting the outer portion of the branch back to another lateral branch. You may also choose to eliminate the branch all together by cutting it back to the main trunk.

Use the three-cut method to remove the branch.

Make the first cut on the underside of the branch, about 1 foot out from the trunk. This cut severs the bark connection between the branch and the trunk so that the branch does not tear the bark from the trunk as it is removed.

Make the second cut on the top of the branch, just a few inches in from the first cut. As the second cut is made, the weight of the branch will cause it to break off cleanly at the point of the first cut.

Make the third and final cut at the base of the branch, where it attaches onto the trunk.

In addition to shaping and size control, pruning can be used to eliminate small stems and branches along the trunk that aren't part of the main branching structure of the tree. This growth clogs the center of the tree and contributes to unwanted crossing and rubbing branches. It also takes energy away from other desirable branches.

Space should be maintained between branches. If two branches compete for the same space in the tree canopy, one should be eliminated. It's also important to remove any weakly attached branches. These can be identified by the narrow, V-shaped angle at which they attach to the main trunk. There may also be a cleft between the branch base and the trunk, where bark is pinched between the two. If weak branches are not removed, they might break off, causing damage to the trunk and creating a safety issue.

Finally, a skilled, certified arborist should do any pruning that requires a ladder or climbing into the tree. This work is too dangerous for the novice. Choose an arborist who has completed a certification program on tree pruning, such as that conducted by the International Society of Arboriculture.