You can, if you have a need, also trim live branches. Most conifers will not
suffer at all with as little as a third of the stem with live branches, as
that's what happens in the forest.
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*************
Joe
Licensed Forester in Massachusetts

wrote in message news:Tg9He.1948$va1.1274@trndny09...
I have a row a pines (blue spruce & ?) along one properly line that are
30'-40' tall. Most of the lower branches are dead, I assume because they
are no longer getting any light because the upper branches. Is it ok to
remove these branches so that the trunk is clean up to about 5 feet from
the
ground? I'm thinking about doing that and then planting pachysandra or
some
other shade-loving ground cover underneath. They run right along side the
deck and the brown, needleless sections are ugly.