Natural Directions, LLC is a member company of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), and as such is a signatory to the ISA “Arborist Code of Ethics”. The text of this Code is available on the ISA website at www.isa-arbor.com.

Natural Directions also complies with all the ANSI A300 Standards for arboricultural operations, as well as the published ISA Best Management Practices for each associated Standard. Regarding tree pruning the applicable Standard is ANSI A300 (Part 1) and the latest revision was published in April of 2017.

Previous revisions of the pruning standard specified that no more than 25% of a living tree’s canopy should be removed at any one time. However, this guideline is no longer part of the current standard. The change was made because professional certified arborists understand that every tree is different and every environment trees grow in is different. Every pruning objective is specific to both the tree being pruned and the environment it is growing in.

The current standard specifies that the objective of pruning be clearly defined, and that the characteristics specific to a tree be considered. These characteristics include species, age, environment, health, history, and ability to respond positively to pruning. The arboriculture industry recognizes that certified arborists have the knowledge and experience to determine what a tree can sustain regarding the amount of pruning required to meet the objective.

The ISA certified arborists employed by Natural Directions still consider the “25% rule” a useful guideline and seek to prune within that limit whenever practical. Should that guideline be exceeded it is only done with professional, knowledgeable, and experienced consideration of the impact to the tree and its environment. To do any less would not be ethical or beneficial to the tree, the client, or the environment. Nor would it be within the core values of Natural Directions, LLC – our primary value being integrity in all we do.