| Table 3. Main characteristics of study branches. Numbers (N) and mean vertical diameters (measured in 2004 over bark) are presented for living, dead, and all branches in total and separately for different pruning treatments (standard deviations in parentheses and ranges between minimum and maximum values). Cumulative radial increments (over bark) of felled study trees at the height of each branch during five to six growing seasons were also determined for all branches. | ||||||||||||
| N of branches | Branch diameter, mm | Radial increment, mm | ||||||||||
| Pruning method | Pruning date | All | Living | Dead | All branches | Living branches | Dead branches | All branches | ||||
| Mean (SD) | Range | Mean (SD) | Range | Mean (SD) | Range | Mean (SD) | Range | |||||
| Secateurs | 19.3. | 146 | 43 | 103 | 15.6 (4.3) | 4–29 | 14.9 (3.6) | 8–24 | 15.9 (4.5) | 4–29 | 20.3 (3.4) | 12.5–28.2 |
| Saw | 19.3. | 119 | 39 | 80 | 16.1 (5.8) | 5–40 | 16.5 (4.6) | 10–31 | 15.9 (6.3) | 5–40 | 18.8 (3.2) | 12.5–24.9 |
| Secateurs | 29.4. | 129 | 69 | 60 | 13.8 (4.9) | 4–36 | 15.9 (4.2) | 10–36 | 11.3 (4.4) | 4–22 | 18.8 (2.5) | 12.8–24.1 |
| Secateurs | 3.6. | 131 | 78 | 53 | 15.0 (4.9) | 4–32 | 16.2 (4.1) | 9–32 | 13.1 (5.3) | 4–27 | 22.1 (5.4) | 12.8–31.6 |
| Secateurs | 23.6. | 128 | 55 | 73 | 14.1 (4.9) | 5–34 | 14.9 (3.3) | 9–23 | 13.6 (5.7) | 5–34 | 18.1 (3.9) | 13.4–27.7 |
| Secateurs | 15.7. | 119 | 54 | 65 | 13.9 (4.0) | 5–25 | 15.4 (3.8) | 10–25 | 12.7 (3.8) | 5–22 | 14.9 (3.1) | 7.3–20.4 |
| Saw | 15.7. | 125 | 68 | 57 | 17.4 (7.3) | 4–50 | 19.1 (5.6) | 10–32 | 15.4 (8.6) | 4–50 | 18.8 (5.8) | 7.4–30.1 |
| Secateurs | 5.8. | 125 | 67 | 58 | 15.7 (5.0) | 5–34 | 16.8 (4.7) | 8–34 | 14.3 (5.0) | 5–29 | 17.2 (3.3) | 12.4–25.2 |
| Secateurs | 26.8. | 99 | 50 | 49 | 14.6 (4.9) | 4–35 | 16.7 (4.7) | 9–35 | 12.5 (4.3) | 4–24 | 17.9 (4.6) | 9.2–25.3 |
| Saw | 26.8. | 114 | 37 | 77 | 16.1 (6.1) | 5–40 | 19.6 (5.7) | 12–40 | 14.4 (5.6) | 5–30 | 15.2 (1.8) | 11.5–18.3 |
| Secateurs | 16.9. | 123 | 44 | 79 | 14.1 (5.2) | 4–35 | 14.5 (3.3) | 9–24 | 13.9 (6.1) | 4–35 | 17.6 (2.9) | 13.0–23.5 |
| Stick | autumn 2004 | 78 | - | 78 | 11.2 (4.2) | 3–25 | - | - | 11.2 (4.2) | 3–25 | 15.6 (2.3) | 10.0–20.4 |
| Stick | spring 2005 | 85 | - | 85 | 10.2 (3.0) | 4–16 | - | - | 10.2 (3.0) | 4–16 | 14.8 (2.1) | 11.8–21.9 |
| Control | no pruned | 116 | 36 | 80 | 9.3 (4.0) | 2–21 | 12.9 (3.1) | 7–21 | 7.8 (3.2) | 2–17 | 18.4 (4.4) | 7.3–26.4 |
| ALL DATA | 1637 | 640 | 997 | 14.3 (5.5) | 2–50 | 16.2 (4.6) | 7–40 | 13.0 (5.6) | 2–50 | 18.0 (4.2) | 7.3–31.6 | |