Lion-tailing
/LY-un TAY-ling/🌲 Arboriculture●● Intermediate
Also known as: lion's tailing, over-thinning
Lion-tailing is an improper pruning practice where interior lateral branches and foliage are stripped from limbs, leaving clusters of foliage only at the branch tips — resembling a lion's tail. This redistributes weight to branch ends, increases breakage risk from lever-arm effect, exposes previously shaded bark to sunscald, and reduces the tree's ability to dampen wind movement.
Etymology
Named for resemblance to a lion's tail: bare stem with a tuft at the end
Example
“The over-zealous crew lion-tailed the maples, stripping out all interior branches and leaving tufts at the tips.”