Our team at Todd’s is called to perform tree pruning on a regular basis. Pruning is when specific stems and branches are removed from a tree for the sake of the tree as a whole. Pruning is also used to thin the canopy of the tree and allow more sunlight and air to reach the tree; keeping it healthy and free from disease. Cutting is typically done to larger branches. Cutting is used to get rid of dead, damaged, and diseased branches to prevent organisms and insects from damaging the tree. Keep on reading to learn more about the benefits of pruning, cutting and emergency tree removal.
The Right Time for Pruning and Trimming Trees
Winter Pruning – Pruning a tree while it is dormant in winter is the most common pruning practice. It ensures that the tree grows plenty during the spring, making winter pruning the best choice if you want this effect for your own trees. It’s best to wait until the harshest and coldest parts of winter have passed to begin. Some tree species – such as birches and maple – can “bleed”. This is when sap flows from the tree. It’s not a harmful process at all and will stop when the tree begins to leaf out. So don’t worry about it.
Summer Pruning – Summer pruning is a good practice to direct growth by pruning the branches you don’t want to keep; a process known as dwarfing. This is when you inhibit the development of a particular tree or branch and it is best done following seasonal growth. The reason pruning slows down tree growth is that you are reducing how many leaves the tree has, which reduces how much food the tree can produce and send to roots to stimulate growth. Another reason for summer pruning is to correct the growth of the tree. It’s easier to see a defective limb and limbs that are weighed down by leaves during the summer. This makes it much easier to correct the issue.
When to Avoid Pruning – As fungi primarily spread pores during the fall, and trees recover slower in the fall, you should avoid pruning during the fall and just leave you shears and other tools in the shed. You can always prune during the winter or summer.
Take a look at our tree pruning and trimming service in action:
Cutting Branches and Limbs From Healthy Trees
There are several reasons that you will need to cut tree limbs; perhaps they are diseased or have died off; or they cross and rub against other tree limbs; or perhaps they are competing too aggressively with other branches and must be removed for the sake of the tree as a whole.
Another good reason to remove tree limbs is to raise or open up the canopy. This opens up the canopy to allow more sunlight and vertical clearance for trees. The best time to remove tree branches and limbs is during the winter. Diseases stay dormant during the winter and aren’t likely to infect and damage the tree through pruned limbs. If you cut open your tree during the winter then you’re just asking all the diseases and pests to damage your tree.
One thing to remember is that some trees will “bleed” after being cut, which is when sap leaks out of the wound. This can look a little unsightly – if not serious – but it’s completely harmless and not a sign of damage. Trees prone to heavy bleeding are beech, birch, maple, elm, and yellowwood.
You may feel that it would be good to dress fresh wounds using tree paints and wound dressings, which are designed for this occasion. My experience tells me that you rarely need to actually use these things. They can even impair the natural healing process of your trees and make them heal slowly. Trees are remarkably adaptable. They continue to grow no matter what adverse conditions you put them in or through. That’s why we would always advocate giving your tree a clean cut and letting the natural healing process take place.
Emergency Tree Removal in Marietta Ga
It’s tough to choose the right time to remove a tree that begins to develop problems. If there’s no risk to the people or structures around a dying tree, then it could likely be left to die by itself. Some animals – like small birds – make these dying and dead trees their homes, using them as nests and feeding grounds. So even a dead tree can serve a useful purpose.
If you really want to keep your tree and don’t mind spending money to do so, then you can attempt to extend the life of the tree by removing dead portions of the tree and giving it plenty of water. It can become expensive to do this and could concern your neighbors, especially if they feel the tree might fall and damage their property. At that point they will likely insist that you get rid of the tree. Inspect the tree yourself or hire an arborist to assess it for you and tell you if it needs to go. If the tree is too much of a hazard then you can hire emergency tree removal services to ensure the tree is removed safely without damaging your property.
Our emergency tree removal service is available after a disaster or severe weather condition:
Visit the following page for more info on emergency tree services www.toddsmariettatreeservices.com/service/emergency-tree-removal/
Pruning, Cutting, and Removing Trees
Pruning tree limbs can improve the appearance of the landscape around the tree, as long as it’s done properly. Pruning at an inappropriate time or taking shortcuts while pruning is just inviting future trouble. You will need to cut off damaged or diseased tree limbs, but they could be preserved if you take care of them quickly. However, emergency tree removal may be the only choice for avoiding damage when a tree becomes ravaged by disease or damaged by storms.
Todd’s Marietta Tree Services
(678) 505-0266