What is the branch bark ridge?

How to recognise it

Look into the crotch of a fork. A strong union shows a ridge that stands out and curves up and away from the junction. If the bark in the crotch looks pinched or folded inward, with a seam or a crease instead of a ridge, the union has probably trapped included bark and is weaker. Ridges are easier to read on some trees than on others, and rough-barked species hide them.

The ridge matters because it marks where a pruning cut goes. The cut starts just outside the ridge and angles away from the trunk, which keeps the branch collar intact.

Why it matters in Northern Nevada

Heavy wet snow and strong downslope wind test branch unions first. A union with a clear ridge holds well. A union with no ridge splits more easily, and in a tree with many such unions, such as a Siberian elm or a honeylocust, whole limbs come down together. See Siberian elm.

Reading the ridge is also one of the first checks on a young tree. A tree with a good ridge on its main branches needs less correction in the future.

What an arborist does about it

The arborist looks at the ridge when judging a fork and when choosing cuts: a ridge union is left alone, a union with included bark is a candidate for reduction or support. When a branch is removed, the ridge sets the angle of the cut. If an earlier cut has damaged the ridge, the arborist notes it, because the wound will close slowly. A certified arborist at Battle Born checks the union before choosing the cut, and will tell you if a fork looks like a candidate for support.