1. I. INTRODUCTION
Pruning is defined as the horticultural practice of cutting away an unwanted,
unnecessary, or undesirable plant part, used most often on trees, shrubs, hedges, and
woody vines. Man uses pruning to remove diseased or injured parts of the plants.
It is a practice of repairing damaged trees to restore their appearance and to arrest
disease. Injured or diseased parts are first removed wherein these surfaces are treated
with antiseptics. It is also practiced to influence vertical or lateral growth for various
reasons, and to increase flowering or fruit yield. Top pruning induces lateral growth
not only produces a more easily accessible shape but also diverts the expenditure of
nourishment from the formation of useless wood to that of buds and fruits.
Pruning as part of the major horticultural maintenance and management practices is
considered as one important task in the field. Its essentiality includes the following:
 to remove diseased or storm-damaged branches
 to thin the crown to permit new growth and better air circulation
 to reduce the height of a tree
 to remove obstructing lower branches (especially branches which are blocking
traffic signs along road or high ways)
 to shape a tree for design purposes
In general, pruning serves the following reasons and benefits:
Crown Cleaning is the removal of dead, dying, diseased, crowded, weakly attached and
low-vigor branches from the crown of a tree.
Crown Thinning is the selective removal of branches to increase light penetration and
air movement through the crown. Thinning opens the foliage of a tree, reduces weight
on heavy limbs, and helps retain the tree’s natural shape.
Crown Raising removes the lower branches from a tree in order to provide clearance
for buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, and vistas.
Crown Reduction reduces the size of a tree, often for clearance for utility lines.
Reducing the height or spread of a tree is best accomplished by pruning back the
leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the
terminal roles (at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem). Compared to topping,
reduction helps maintain the form and structural integrity of the tree.
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2. II. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS
Contract O&M 201 is equipped with competent soft landscape technicians and
engineers who are designated primarily to carry out soft landscape maintenance tasks
such pruning in the site as required by Parks and Recreation Facilities Directorate
(PRFD) and Parsons International Limited respectively.
Pruning is done with the use of the following hand tools, petrol operated tools such as:
hand shears, hand pruning saw, petrol chain saw, petrol pole pruner, two handed lopper,
etc and some heavy equipment such as bucket crane; all depending on the volume of
work and the sizes of the tree branches to be cut or pruned in the site.
This is a versatile pole pruner that can be attached to any standard-
thread extension pole; includes 14-inch pruning saw blade and 1-inch
lopper.
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3. This is a set of hand tools being used in normal pruning practices while a bucket
crane is often used in times of hard and heavy pruning of tree branches in the site as
also shown below:
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4. III. C-201 METHOD STATEMENT
There are many ways to prune a tree, but there's only one foolproof method that prevents
surviving branches from developing fungus and makes sure the bark stays intact and the
tree's structural tissue isn't damaged: it's called the Three-cut Method.
The key is to prune the unwanted branch while protecting the
stem or trunk wood of the tree. Tree branches grow from stems at
nodes and pruning always takes place on the branch side of a
stem-branch node. Branches and stems are separated by a lip of
tissue called a stem collar which grows out from the stem at the
base of the branch. All pruning cuts should be made on the branch
side of this stem collar. This protects the stem and the other
branches that might be growing from it. It also allows the tree to
heal more effectively after the prune. To prevent tearing of the
bark and stem wood, particularly in the case of larger branches,
use the following procedures:
A similar procedure is used in pruning one of two branches (or one large
branch and a stem) joined together in a 'u' or 'v' crotch. This is known as a
drop crotch cut.
1. First begin by cutting a notch into the weakened limb about five or six
inches before the spot where you intend the final cut to be. Make the cut half an inch deep.
2. For the second cut, move out an inch or two away from the trunk and cut until the joint
snaps and the majority of the limb falls off. Tree limbs are heavy, so the first cut acts to
prevent the limb from tearing stem tissue as it comes off.
3. The third cut is the most important. Here are you are attacking the raised, rough stub,
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5. which is called a bark tear. The goal is to remove it completely so that the "wound" is clean
and there is hardly any raised surface area. To do this, locate the "collar" where the limb
meets the trunk. Cut about a quarter inch away from this area, because the tissue in this
region is crucial to help the tree heals from the cut.
IV. ROAD WORK AND SITE SAFETY PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
The restricted scope of work of Contract 201 is basically limited along the 7 kilometer
stretch of median road of Musaffah, Abu Dhabi.
Maintenance works in these areas entail extensive application and monitoring of road
safety. Furthermore, proper procedures of obtaining work permit from Roads & Traffic
Department are also one of the necessary requirements.
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6. 1. INFORMATION, INSTRUCTION, TRAINING & SUPERVISION: It is important that
everyone is given appropriate information to enable them to move around the work
place in safety. Never assume that people will automatically be aware of the hazards
around them.
This road work along road median of Musaffah, Abu
Dhabi will be done under the full supervision of
DRIPCO Safety Officer respectively.
A training course was imparted by the Consultant’s
Safety Officer (Parsons) prior to execution of road
median work along Musaffah Highway. This training
focused primarily on the road safety manual provided as
required by the Traffic Department of Abu Dhabi Government.
2. USE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE): All laborers must wear the
necessary PPE or depending on the maintenance task which to be carried out in site of
work, like:
• Overall working clothes with safety reflector vest
• Helmet
• Rubber gloves
• Safety shoes
•
3. DESIGNATED WALKWAYS/TRAFFIC ROUTES: There should be sufficient traffic
routes in the work place, to allow people to circulate safely and without difficulty.
4. USE OF SIGNS: Clearly visible & easily understood signs, markings & notices must be
provided to ensure pedestrians & motorists' safety, particularly to those unfamiliar
with the work place. The following traffic safety signs shall be used in site:
• Traffic cones
• Warning sign boards ("men at work", "keep left", "reduce speed")
• Warning flash boards
• Flags
• Warning tapes
5. FENCING AND GUARDING: Physical barriers should be erected to ensure that where
there is a risk of collision of vehicles, an adequate protection for pedestrians is present.
While working along the Musaffah Road, the following will be strictly implemented:
• Warning flash boards will be placed at the beginning & at the end of the work
area;
• Visible sign boards will then be distributed after the 1st flash board has been
fixed;
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7. • Traffic cones will be positioned at a distance of 5 linear meters from the work
area & 5 linear meters in lateral interval along the road;
6. OTHER FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATIONS: It is very crucial to consider the prevailing
weather or climate conditions while doing each site work. Extreme climatic conditions
(high or low temperature) may be risky to workers in site.
The table below shows the significant hazards while executing pruning work and its
control measures that have been identified and can be anticipated during the full course of
work in the site:
S/No. HAZARD CONTROL MEASURES
1 Fuelling
Shaded fuelling site; safe distance from ignition
source; correct and tightly sealed containers
2 Falling arising
All operators must be trained and competent;
exclusion zone set up around work area (complete
isolation of work place)
3 Working at height
All operators must be well trained and competent;
ensure strength of anchor points; use of
supplementary anchor points; grounds man must
be trained and equipped to perform aerial rescue
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Use of tools and equipment at
height
Suitable equipment must be used; general
exclusion of public from the work area; clear
communication among working team members
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Use of pulling and lowering
equipment
Properly planned work program in the site;
general exclusion of public from the work area;
appropriate lifting and pulling techniques must be
used and applied
6 Tree falling
Safe working distances; escape routes maintained;
use of falling aids; PPE must be worn; planned
work program
7 Pruning, sectional cutting
Trained operators; general exclusion of public
from the work area; designated drop zone must be
clearly identified
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Extreme weather (sand storm,
high wind velocity, heavy rain,
intense summer season, foggy
weather)
Suspension of work particularly during severe
weather conditions; take regular breaks; PPE must
be worn
9 Utility services
Identify all existing and buried utility services in
the area; consult utility maps for easier
identification; make all necessary arrangement
with the service providers
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Working near roads, paths,
public areas, buildings and
obstructions
Work planning; trained staff and operators;
buildings and other nearby establishments must be
vacated; general exclusion of public from the work
area and set up with signs, barriers and warning
tapes; a designated flagman to control traffic flow;
PPE must be worn; complete road set up such as
flash boards and other visible warning signs
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8. V. RECORDING AND WORK DOCUMENTATION
And in compliance to what have been required by PRFD, the form below shall be filled
up and accomplished by Dripco’s trained staff and laborers after each work and will be
submitted to Parsons International Limited-Contract 201 Site Office Management:
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