There are many reasons to prune a tree here in the Tri-Cities. Sometimes the wind comes whipping through and causes a little havoc and destruction. Other times, it’s just due to the trees age or condition.
Here is a summary of the top reasons to trim a tree:
- to eliminate diseased or branches with storm
- to thin out the crown of the tree to promote new growth
- to make the tree shorter and improve views
- to eliminate lower branches that are obstructions
- to make shapes out of the tree for aesthetics
Now that you’ve decided to prune your tree, the next thought should be if you’re going to do the job yourself or hire a professional tree trimmer. If you are dealing with a larger tree and need to remove large branches, especially near the crown of the tree, hiring Top Tree LLC is probably your best best. Pruning large trees, in particular, will require climbing and heavy saws or even cherry-pickers and chain saws. This is a job that should be left to trained and experienced professionals. Never compromise personal safety in pruning a tree.
Large trees aside, there are pruning jobs that you can do on your own. In all cases, the best practice is to prune the unwanted branch while protecting the stem or trunk wood of the tree. Protecting the stem and trunk of the tree is absolutely imperative. Tree branches grow from stems at nodes and pruning always takes place on the branch side of a stem-branch node.
Branches and stems are separated by a lip of tissue called a stem collar which grows out from the stem at the base of the branch. All cuts should be made on the branch side of this stem collar.
This protects the stem and the other branches that might be growing from it. It also allows the tree and/or branches to heal better after pruning. You will need to not tear the bark and stem wood, especially in the case of larger branches. You should use the following procedure:
In the next section, we will discuss the steps necessary in pruning your trees
Continue to Part 2 of Why To Prune Your Tree Here