The Oregon publication contains a lot of information but I doubt it will clear up much of the confusion about initial training of fruit trees. If trees are on vigorous, free standing root stocks, one instruction that is very helpful is to remove all branches more than half the diameter of the trunk at point of attachment to the trunk and do very little other pruning until trees come into bearing. For apple varieties that are particularly vigorous you remove all branches more than a third the diameter of the trunk. This will tend to create a relatively symetrical, compact and early bearing tree with strongly attached scaffold branches. Once the tree is bearing you can begin the process of height reduction and the selection of permanent scaffolds, even if you want an open center construction. With this approach you will be making permanent decisions with a tree that is much easier to read in terms of seeing what needs to be removed compared to something so small that you have no idea about scale and what scaffolds will look like when they size up. This is a method used all over the world by commercial growers of vigorous fruit trees but somehow has never made it into the literature of home orchard recommendations. Commercial growers have to spend a lot of money to get their trees pruned and need their trees to come into production as soon as possible and this simple method of pruning by ratio saves on the time needed to educate the pruners and also to realize meaningful harvests. Trees with branches of smaller ratios bear younger and require less corrective pruning. Branches also are less likely to break under fruit load. E-mail me for a copy of an article I've written on the subject if you'd like a more thorough explanation. It is actually a useful method of training all manner of trees- even things like maples and oaks, because it leads to the development of strong central leader trees unlikely to be damaged by storms.

Try also posting under California Gardening. You might find someone close to you to trade with.

from the link below: "... one of Burke's lawyers, said he was happy for Burke and his wife. The finding could also benefit other residents and force the city to take a more proactive stance on inspecting trees in its right of way ..." ===>>> no it wont.. it will lead to the city simply removing the trees .. causing a barren landscape .. why hire tree workers for life.. theirs or the trees.. when with one application of the chainsaw.. the problem is gone ... i got sick of the article at this point ... and didn't find out.. what the heck he was doing under the tree after a 4 day storm ... a similar thing is happening right now in my area ... storms cause power failures ... sometimes for days .. which isnt fun in the great white north in winter with no heat .. nor toilet ... so the peeps whine and moan.. and claims it all the power companies fault ... and demand something done ... so the power Co exercises it 'easement' .. and starts clearing all the trees the idiot people [mostly prior owners mind you] ... planted UNDER THE FREAKIN POWER LINES ... so what's the result.. slap on the back.. thanks for protecting our power source.. oh no .. diatribe after diatribe about how they are killing/maiming all the trees.. what a travesty .. OMG.. the world is going to end.. to which my reply is.. check your mortgage map .. YOU DONT OWN THAT PROPERTY.. nor have any right to have those trees there.. and you are in denial to whine and moan about it all ... well that part is in my head.. and what i say aloud is.. well.. as a gardener.. all i see is 'opportunity' .. for something new ... let me know if you need suggestions on what to plant there ... how about a nice line of lilac.. which will block your view ... and never really reach the power lines .. in your lifetime ... anyway.. the first thing they taught us in law school.. was.. bad facts make bad law ... and the fact that he was out under the tree after a storm.. is a bad fact ... most nearly as bad as the fact of the horrific injuries .. put those together.. and all i see.. is the city removing all the trees ... ok.. how do you find all these tree articles .. lol ... do you have some search engine alert you?? .. man o'live.. if ever a name was appropo ... you do love your trees .. lol .. ken ps: BTW.. do some research on palm roots.. i am pretty sure.. they barely have a root system as we tree peeps would think ... and whole large trees can be moved by cranes due to such [the machine.. not the bird] ... as i recall.. and that is always questionable ... lol ... they fall over rather easily ... but i would defer on this .. just some vague recollection.. as obviously.. we dont do palm in MI .... Here is a link that might be useful: same as the second link in her post

I have a mature olive tree in my backyard in San Diego that needs moving due to planned construction. Anyone want it? You will have to arrange move. It's a non-fruit bearing tree, around 15 feet tall and across the crown. Very interesting tree. Tree needs to be moved in Jan or Feb 2012. Email me if you want the tree.