If you get a plastic animal of some sort, usually it will cure the bird problem for a while. However, some birds are just really brave (or really stupid) and will continue to eat from your tree. Almost any reflective surface or noisy object will prevent the birds from coming too close. I personally like to use reflective tape designed for scaring birds. This is highly beneficial even if you are just growing a tree in your backyard, in a non professional environment. To train a tree, you will need some sort of outside brace to push or pull a branch. Alternately, if you want to push 2 branches closer together or further apart, you can place something in between them or lash them together with rope. Although fruit trees bearing other, more exotic kinds of fruit may seem more exciting, they usually won't grow as well in your area. That s not to say it s impossible. You can definitely try to grow a more exotic tree, but it will take much more commitment and time. Another factor involved in deciding on a type of tree is what kind of soil you have, because some trees do better in damp soil while others are better suited for drier soil. There are more situations and types of branches that require pruning, but what I ve outlined is the very basic parts. These can alter depending on how old your tree is. For example, for the first 3 years of a tree s growth it requires pruning that follows more formative guidelines. After the tree is well established, you will need to use regulatory pruning to keep it where you would like it to be. Occasionally it might be a few feet off due to human error during the cutting process, but if you have some strong friends pull on the ropes you tied, you can line it back up with the path you wanted it to take. The entire process shouldn t take more than an hour. Removal of the stump can be slightly more difficult. He ended up having to cut down the entire tree (the stump was a wriggling mass of white larvae. I threw up when I saw it. Damn my weak stomach!) and have the stump professionally removed to get rid of all traces. Having to start completely over on a tree you ve worked on for so long is an absolute travesty.