ALAMOSA — The Colorado State Forest Service will be offering a tree pruning workshop on Tuesday April 2 in San Luis. This workshop will be held at the Costilla County Conservancy District office. The primary focus of the workshop will be the pruning of young trees as well as fruit trees from the ground or with the use of a ladder. Participants will gain hands-on experience in basic tree pruning techniques, structural pruning principles as well as fruit tree pruning and maintenance through the use of basic tools such as pruning shears and pruning saws.

Trees add value to a property by accentuating a home’s architecture, enhancing aesthetics, providing summer shade and offering protection from winter winds. These benefits can be improved through the pruning of young trees to provide clearance over sidewalks and streets will help to minimize the amount of large-diameter limbs removed in the future. Pruning fruit trees also helps to make the fruit more accessible by removing tall, out of reach branches and selecting for lower branches. “Properly pruning fruit trees helps to increase fruit production and quality”, says Sam Scavo, Forester at the CSFS Alamosa Field Office.

The following pruning topics will be covered:

* Developing and maintaining one dominant vertical stem.

* Branch spacing.

* Where to prune.

* How much to prune?

* Basic fruit tree pruning.

Vince Urbina, community forester with the CSFS Urban and Community Forestry Program, will be the instructor for the workshop. “Vince brings a wealth of knowledge from the nursery, fruit tree and community forestry industries,” says Scavo.

The workshop will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 2 at the Costilla County Conservancy District office at 324 Main Street in San Luis. The morning session will be classroom-based, with an afternoon field session. The cost of the workshop is $20, which includes lunch. Space is limited to 20 participants so be sure to register early. Call 587-0915 for reservations.