Your Winter Preparation Checklist:

As a homeowner, your list of “todos” for you home seem never ending. Well, here is another one you will want to make sure you pay attention to. This is a winter checklist for the trees on your property.

If you take a little time each month to knock out these items, you will increase the life of your trees, reduce possible home damage, and keep your home’s value a little higher than if you don’t. Not to mention, your neighbors will probably appreciate you a little more.

Here is what is upcoming for your winter tree maintenance:

September

• Inspect trees for insects and disease.
• Inspect trees for signs of mechanical and animal damage. Use tree shelters if needed.
• Control weed growth.
• Water every week that there is less than an inch of rain.

October

• Fertilize if needed.
• Inspect for signs of mechanical and animal damage. Use shelters if needed.
• Install sun/winter crack protectors (tree shelter, cardboard, double layer of tree wrap) on trees with thin bark.

November through March

• Winter pruning for crossing or dead branches.

Now, if you do not feel comfortable or simply don’t have the proper tools to do any tree maintenance, we are more than happy to do any of this work for you. Also, if you have multiple trees to remove or just don’t have the time to do it, we are here for you. We can handle all of your tree maintenance needs and services in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Richland, Pasco) and even West Richland. We look forward to being your preferred tree maintenance provider.

Issue: Rodents foraging for food can cause damage. Two main culprits: rabbits and squirrels
Solution: Mulch. Bait. Commercial repellent paint.

Winter is coming. This means rodents and other animals will be foraging for food and possibly causing damage to the trees on your property. The two main culprits you will mostly likely face will be rabbits and squirrels.

Squirrels may occasionally damage trees by chewing bark from branches and trunks. In residential areas, squirrels sometimes travel power lines and short out transformers. They gnaw on wires, enter buildings, and build nests in attics. They frequently chew holes through pipelines used in maple syrup production.

Squirrels occasionally damage lawns by burying or searching for and digging up nuts. They will chew bark and clip twigs on ornamental trees or shrubbery planted in yards. Often squirrels take food at feeders intended for birds. Sometimes they chew to enlarge openings of bird houses and then enter to eat nestling songbirds. In gardens, squirrels may eat planted seeds, mature fruits, or grains such as corn.

Now, if you do not feel comfortable or simply don’t have the proper tools to do any tree maintenance, we are more than happy to do any of this work for you. Also, if you have multiple trees to remove or just don’t have the time to do it, we are here for you. We can handle all of your tree maintenance needs and services in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Richland, Pasco) and even West Richland. We look forward to being your preferred tree maintenance provider.

Issue: Branch breakage due to the tree becoming brittle
Solution: Prune weak and vulnerable branches

It is important to prune and remove weak and vulnerable branches from your trees for a multitude of reasons. The Tri-Cities is known to have some pretty good wind storms that can gust up to anywhere between 40 and 60 miles per hour during certain times of the winter. When this happens, having limbs and branches around your home can be hazardous to your home. We have seen numerous times after a storm where trees and limbs have gone through roofs and windows of a home.

It is also important to prune and remove damaged and weak limbs for a tree’s health. Without proper maintenance, a tree can continue to get sick and eventually not be worth saving if it has been damaged. We are more than happy to help you decide what the best way for pruning your tree is. Or, if you don’t have time, we can take care of it for you.

Now, if you do not feel comfortable or simply don’t have the proper tools to do any tree maintenance, we are more than happy to do any of this work for you. Also, if you have multiple trees to remove or just don’t have the time to do it, we are here for you. We can handle all of your tree maintenance needs and services in the Tri-Cities (Kennewick, Richland, Pasco) and even West Richland. We look forward to being your preferred tree maintenance provider.