Pruning A River Birch

Question

Hello, Several years ago I planted two river birch about 20/25 feet from my pool area. My issue now is they’ve grown much taller than I expected (I should’ve looked them up before planting) and I have tons of leaves going into my pool in the early Fall or anytime we experience periods of dryness, like this past week. To what extent can I prune these trees? Thanks.

Answer 1

Can the pool be covered with a screen in the fall like you can do with a water feature? If not, keeping it watered will help, as will mulch to conserve moisture. When it gets dry in late summer, it will shed leaves.

By pruning, I think you mean shorten, and that can be done by selectively pruning branches back to a side shoot. You wouldn't want to "top" the tree for any reason. If you prune, avoid pruning in early spring when the sap is flowing. Wait till the leaves have fully developed.

Repeated pruning to shorten a tree will weaken it and leave it open to disease and insects. Sometimes, if the wrong tree was planted, it is best to remove it.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/birch/planting-river-birch-trees.htm

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/river-birch/