What tools do I need to prune trees?

Some tools used to prune trees are loppers, saws and pruners, states The Home Depot. The primary kinds of pruners are bypass, ratchet and anvil, with each having a different blade. Bypass pruners have two curved blades that function like scissors and are the most commonly used pruners.

Anvil pruners are used to remove dry stems and branches, while bypass pruners are used on green stems that are growing, notes The Home Depot. Ratchet pruners help reduce wrist strain by cutting in phases, and they can also cut thicker branches. Loppers and saws cut medium-to-large branches, with saws being used to remove low-hanging branches.