Question
I have a 30 ft. + blue spruce in my front yard that has never been trimmed of dead branches or any branches as far as that goes.  It has a lot of dead branches near the base and up its trunk.  I would like to rim these out without injuring the tree or subjecting it to "pests".  any suggestions?  Thank you.

Answer
That sounds like a good solution--prune the lower branches and the dead branches.
Whenever removing limbs greater than 1 inch in diameter, use the three-cut method to avoid tearing bark. First, about 12 inches from the trunk, cut halfway through the limb from the underside. Second, about 1 inch past the first cut, cut through the limb from the top side. The limb's weight will cause it to break between the two cuts. Make the third cut outside the branch collar, The branch collar is the swollen area of trunk tissue that forms around the base of a branch. The branch bark ridge is a line of rough bark running from the branch-trunk crotch into the trunk bark, less prominent on some trees than on others. Do not cut the branch flush with the trunk. Use a handsaw to provide greater control. When pruning, picture how the branches are attached to the trunk. The branch collar is the swollen area of trunk tissue that forms around the base of a branch. The branch bark ridge is a line of rough bark running from the branch-trunk crotch into the trunk bark, less prominent on some trees than on others.

Don't coat pruning cuts with tree paint or wound dressing the paint will slow the healing process. Conifers will seal the wound with sap.