Tree Pruning & Tree Trimming
Proper tree pruning is important for maintaining the health and safety of your trees, and pruning trees regularly helps them to live longer. It is important to inspect your trees often to check for weakly attached branches, dead branches, and unhealthy-looking branches. Pruning a tree also allows the tree to heal wounds caused by dead limbs. This healing provides long-term decay protection. It is extremely important to properly perform tree trimming, and to avoid tree toppers always. Cutting back or topping will result in near death, or the tree can sprout back even bigger and bushier. No more than 20% of the branches and leaf volume should be removed in a single tree trimming service.
A Professional Tree Pruner:
A professional tree pruner will possess the knowledge and training to complete a proper tree trimming service to foster growth and provide the ideal shape for the unique tree or shrub. Methods for trimming shrubs may differ from trimming trees and because of this, a professional tree trimmer may be considered somewhat or a tree surgeon.
It is important to remember not to neglect young trees. Pruning on newer trees removes future problems, such as rubbing or crossing limbs, thins overly-dense sections, and it saves money in future pruning by removing limbs prone to failure.
Professional tree trimming companies know that proper pruning is a function that should be performed with a specific purpose. Trimming trees is performed to remove dead or diseased branches, thin the canopy, lightly reduce the longest branches back to a lateral branch, or elevate (removing the lower branches to allow sunlight underneath or create headroom). Because of the importance of proper pruning serves, it is recommended to contact the professionals and avoid DIYing with hedge cutters or a hedge trimmer.
Tree Pruning Goals
- Safety Hazards (removal dead, hanging, broken and stubbed limbs)
- Balance (pruning back heavy sections to even weight throughout the tree)
- Single Leader (promotes tree strength by reducing side leaders)
- Crown Weakness (remove limbs that rub or cross, decayed limbs, weak limb junctions all of which increase branch failure)
- Density (is controlled by thinning congested sections to improve light gathering efficiency)
- Views (trees can co-exist with views if they’re pruned to allow a desired view)
Shrub Pruning Goals
- Size Maintenance (size can be controlled and shape can be maintained through proper pruning)
- Spacing (proper shrub spacing will allow air flow to plants, buildings, and facilities)
- Insect and Disease Control (pruning that thins dense shrubs will aid in disease control by enhancing air flow and light penetration)
- Shrub Health (pruning the whole shrub including the interior will allow for improved health and inside growth)