Question
I have three mature weeping willows- about 30 years old- and about 1/4 of the branches are dead. I just bought this house and would like to save these trees. The rest of the tree is green with beautiful branches. Will pruning correct this problem or will I eventually lose the trees? Thank you.

Answer
Prune only the dead branches. Branches die usually form shading and ones on the inner part of the tree are normal. Cut only the dead ones before the leaves fall. Cutting live branches will cause the stubs to bleed when the tree is still growing (has leaves on it). After the leaves fall you can trim the long limbs that are hitting the ground in the same manner that you would give a light hair cut to someone. This tree really does not need much pruning except for the dead branches.