RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Response of Two Oak Species to Reduction Pruning Cuts JF Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) FD International Society of Arboriculture SP 360 OP 366 DO 10.48044/jauf.2007.041 VO 33 IS 5 A1 Grabosky, Jason C. A1 Gilman, Edward F. YR 2007 UL http://auf.isa-arbor.com/content/33/5/360.abstract AB Reduction pruning cuts were used to prune Quercus virginiana (live oak) and Quercus Shumardii (shumard oak). One-half of the pruning wounds were harvested and dissected 3 years later to observe extent of discoloration in response to the pruning cut. Shumard oak did not limit discoloration as effectively as live oak. Discolored area in the wood increased with size of the pruning cut surface in shumard oak and less so in live oak. Dissections showed that the shape of the discolored area attenuated with depth. The branch connection morphology and response (branch–trunk aspect ratio, branch angle, release growth after pruning) appeared to influence discoloration pattern in reduction pruning. The angle of the reduction cut relative to the American National Standards Institute-recommended angle bisect method was not found to influence discoloration. Discoloration in the less efficient compartmentalizing species (Shumard oak) was related to cut surface area, but not to cut angle. There was no relationship between aspect ratio and discoloration in the 3 years after pruning. The data suggest that reduction cuts can be made back to lateral branches as small as one-third the diameter of the removed stem.