PRUNE the Word TRIM
from Your Vocabulary

by Paul D. Ries

At Kramer Tree Specialists, Inc. we are not only in the business of properly caring for your trees, but to inform you of the latest products, services, and now terminology.

This topic came to mind when Bill Bohnhoff, our web site designer, informed me that “searches” were not pulling up our web site since we only used the word pruning in our web site. Reluctantly, I agreed to have the word “trimming” in parenthesis. This article by Paul D. Ries from 1994 (And still to this day the word trimming is used improperly.) gets right to the point and I hope not only to inform our clients, but to continue the educational process within the arboricultural industry as well. Jan Kramer — Vice President

I recently signed up for a correspondence course on proper use of the English language. While contemplating one of the lessons, I thought about how someone should write one of these lessons on how we misuse words, or use vague words instead of precise ones. The first misuse that came to my mind was the use of the words "trim" and "trimming". Imagining myself writing a lesson “Terminology I Would Like to see Eliminated from Arboriculture", I decided it should start with the word "trimming", as in "tree trimming".

I don't believe that the two words were ever meant to go together. A "trim" is something I get when I go to the barbershop. Trimming is what my neighbor does to his hedge to make it look all straight, formal, and looking like it just came out of a box.

Pruning is an art and a science, one that by virtue of all the topping that goes on in this country is poorly understood by a great number of people. At a recent meeting of utility foresters and arborists, I heard the words trim and trimming being used repeatedly when the speakers meant to say prune or pruning. When I asked a speaker why he kept using the term trimming, he really wasn't sure.

The word trim is used to mean "look nice," "make neat," or "decorate". Trimming conveys lots of meanings, none of them very precise. Barbers trim hair, gardeners trim hedges, and butchers trim fat from meat. Barbers don't prune hair, and butchers don't prune steaks. While trimming is used for a variety of things, pruning almost always refers to trees and shrubs. Pruning implies practical and specialized knowledge and experience. Pruning is something you do for the health and well being of the tree and the safety of the public. Pruning involves long-range planning, preventive plant health care, and artistry all rolled into one.

Consider what message "trimming" conveys to the public: "everyone can trim a hedge, right? Why shouldn't I climb up that tree and trim off a few branches around those wires. I'll make that tree look nice and neat. It's easy… all you need is a step ladder and a sharp saw, right?"

Now consider what the word "pruning" conveys: “I don't know much about how to prune. Pruning a tree sounds a bit daunting. Perhaps I should call the extension service for some advice, or maybe the city or the power company."

Which message would your company rather convey? The term pruning is more professional, more descriptive, and more accurate for the work we do as arborists. Pruning implies a public service provided by professionals. Isn't that the image your company is trying to project? Arborists and tree crews don't trim trees, they prune or remove them. The people who conduct vegetation management activities for your company are not tree trimmers; they are arborists or tree care workers. They command and deserve a higher degree of professional recognition for the skills they use to prune and care for trees along streets and around power lines.

I for one would be glad to never hear speakers saying trimming when they mean pruning, or to see the words "tree trimming" juxtaposed on any written page.

[Reprinted from Shade Tree Leaves — Fall 1994.]

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