Some trees should be pruned for their own good. As in certain apple and fruit trees. Many have quite a horizontal growth pattern. Add on a full load of fruit and the branches start to bend and be prone to breaking. And with the spring snow storms we get, those type of trees are more prone to breaking with the extra weight of the snow.
I have one crab/apple cross with this type of growth pattern, and I prune it quite regularily, in the fall when dormant. On the other hand, I also have a Dolgo crabapple with more of an upward growth and I don't need to prune it quite as severely.
Of course, if I dont pick the fruit in time, Mr. Bear comes along and prunes the fruit trees for me. He has proven to be a terrible horticulturalist.
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