Expert: Jim Hyland - 7/13/2007

Question
How many/much branches of a pine tree can you cut off, starting at the base,
before it will die? Will it die at all?

Answer
It is not how much you cut but how much you leave. A pine needs at the least 1/3 of the length of the tree to be in foliage (crown). More cut off then that will cause the tree to suffer in growth loss and could over time cause it to die back. I would prune just enough to get the branches off what ever you are trying to do --above the heads of folks walking under the trees or off buildings etc.