Question
I have a dogwood tree planted fairly close to the end of my driveway.  It was there when I bought the house.  Over the past 10 years it has been growing nicely and is beautiful in bloom.  Unfortunately, it obstructs the view of the road when pulling out to leave the house. I must prune it to prevent an accident.  I live in Dauphin County in Pennsylvania.  What are your ideas?  I would not need to touch the top area just the side that blocks the view of the street. Many thanks!

Answer
Dead and diseased branches should be removed as soon as they are noticed. You can the thin the branch structure of your dogwood by selectively removing crowded branches at the point where they originate from a larger branch or the trunk. You can also remove low-hanging branches. This kind of pruning, which is done to shape and thin a dogwood, is best done in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. Prune the limb back to about 1/4 inch from the trunk. Be very careful not to injure the bark on the trunk; it is thin and easily injured. Injured bark provides an easy entry point for dogwood borer larvae. Try not to remove more than one-third of a plant's top growth each time you prune. More than that may stress the plant beyond the point of recovery.

A side note I would never suggest topping any tree. This can cause the tree to grow out of balance and is not good for the growth of the tree. A tree grows from the terminal bud and cutting it can at best make a bush and at worse kill the tree.

You can prune now BUT You will need to spray the wound with an insecticide called Merit or Onyx this will keep borers from attacking. Check with your local garden type store for these insecticides.