Pruning test in woody arboriculture plantings with valuable species.

In order to obtain high-quality wood, tree pruning is one of the most important operations in arboriculture plantations. Nevertheless, pruning may cause injuries and thus affect the healing process, determine abnormal wood coloration and/or pathogen attacks, and, ultimately, reduce timber quality and value. A lot of factors are involved in pruning effects, like diameter of cut branches (that should be < 3 cm), pruning season, species, and pruning tools. Our aim was to determine the relationship between several pruning tools and the mechanical injury to tree bark. These results will help to choose the tools to optimize healing processes and then minimize direct and indirect unfavourable pruning effects.