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Trimming willow tree inner branches & limbs

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From: David Schlosser City: Greenview, IL
I have a 10 yr old Golden Willow that the inner limbs break on a regular basis. It seems to only occur on all of the smaller (1" diameter and smaller). The outside of the tree looks fine, no leaf or bug damage that I can discern. The tree is roughly 40 feet tall with a diameter of 20+ inches. Is is okay to remove all of the dead wood without damaging the tree? Is so when and how much?
	Extension Message From: Richard Hentschel Extension Educator, Horticulture DuPage/Kane/Kendall Unit hentsche@illinois.edu
Willows have a number of deiback issues including the one you describe. Interior branches becoming less productive as the canopy expands would naturally die as well. You can remove dead branches any time as they will never return to life and can and will harbor other issues that can impact tree health.
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