Non toccate quei rami: le basi funzionali del "no pruning"

In urban areas trees are very often severely pruned and this would suggest that this management practice might be necessary or even “healthy" for trees. Our main aim is to demonstrate how wrong this belief is. Repeated pruning alters plant functionality and also promotes the colonization of trees by pathogens. We present some empirical evidence as well as a conceptual framework that should raise awareness that plants grow following strict allometric trajectories, so their parts (leaves, stem, branches and roots) are strictly interconnected and related. Pruning deviates trees from these trajectories, leading to stressful conditions that worsen the general tree health.