In Three Gorges reservoir region of China, many roads, highways, railways, buildings and even new towns and cities have been constructed or are under construction. In this region, fig tree species Ficus microcarpa and Ficus virens are extensively planted for the ecological restoration and environmental improvement. Using branch cuttings to vegetatively cultivate saplings is a chief way of tree propagation for these two species in Three Gorges reservoir region, annual branch removal from trees of the two species for obtaining branch cuttings are common in the region. To evaluate the effects of annual branch removal on plant growth and subsequent harvest of branch cuttings, a branch removal experiment with four removal intensities (0%, 20%, 50%, and 70%), two removal seasons (spring and autumn) was carried out. Branch removal was conducted in three successive years. Aboveground biomass production of branch-removed Ficus microcarpa and Ficus virens trees decreased following treatment, and this reduction was correlated with branch-removal intensity. Annually repeated branch removal aggravated the decrease of aboveground biomass production. Among removal intensities of 20%, 50%, and 70%, higher removal intensities led to larger branch harvests in all species at the first pruning, but did not necessarily lead to larger branch harvests at the second and the third treatment. Trees subjected to branch removal in autumn produced higher aboveground biomass production, and resulted in a larger branch harvest than trees subjected to branch removal in spring. However, with respect to the aboveground biomass production and branch harvest, no interactions were found between treatment seasons and removal intensities. The results indicate that, in Three Gorges reservoir region, the annual branch removal regime can not provide enough time for these two fig trees to fully recover from removal intensities higher than 20%. The optimal removal intensity which ensures the largest sustainable harvest of branch cuttings from these trees under annual removal regime should be less than 20%.