Rat-tailing a pine tree is removing all of the inside branches from limbs but leaving the newest branches at the end of branches. The short term advantage is that it does allow better air flow through the tree and helps prevent the tree from blowing over.
However, shallow roots might not support the tree. Shallow roots are because of frequent watering and/or poor soil preparation at the time of planting.
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| Rat-tailed pine tree. It allows wind to blow through the canopy more easily and helps prevent tree blowover but it causes numerous other problems resulting in limb breakage. |
Other problems may result from rat-tailing pine trees.
Removing interior branches can result in weaker limbs because the branches that were “feeding” these limbs are removed. The branches remaining, those that the ends, continue to feed the limbs resulting in limbs that have less taper and are structurally “weaker” and subject to breakage. Several years may be needed before this is happens. Rat-tailing pine trees may result in less blow over in the short run but eventually it might also result in more limb breakage.