Mature Tree Pruning
Pruning is the most common tree and shrub maintenance practice. It involves carefully removing dead, damaged, diseased or otherwise unwanted tree branches.
Proper pruning of trees will add to their aesthetic value, improve their strength and maintain their safety.
It’s important that pruning is done properly – improper pruning can cause irreparable damage, create hazards and even shorten a tree’s life.
Why Prune Your Trees?
There are many good reasons to prune trees, including the following:
- Removing diseased, dead, or storm-damaged branches that look ugly and could hurt someone
- Thinning the crown to allow for new growth and better air circulation (which makes for a healthier tree)
- Reducing the height of the tree (note that we do NOT top trees)
- Removing lower branches that are blocking walkways or branches that are hitting your house
- Enhancing your views
Types of Tree Pruning
There are three general types of tree pruning – pruning for safety, health, and aesthetics.
Pruning for safety involves removing damaged or diseased branches while reducing the risk of failure from wind and snow loads, and maintaining the structural integrity of the tree. This usually means removing branches that could fall and damage your property or hurt someone.
Pruning for tree health makes trees healthier by removing diseased or insect-infested wood, promoting airflow and removing crossing or rubbing branches.
Pruning for aesthetics is done to enhance the natural form and character of your trees and shrubs. We can improve the shape of the tree, open up your view, and ensure proper tree structure.
Experience Matters
When mature trees need corrective or preventative pruning, or a young tree needs pruning to develop a strong structure and desirable form, your plants will benefit from pruning by a professional arborist. Proper pruning requires a strong knowledge of tree structure and function along with extensive experience in both the science and art of pruning, that can only come from an ISA Certified Arborist. Trust the care of your trees to the ISA Certified Arborists at Stevenson Tree Care!
