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The Importance of Tree Trimming

Tree trimming, also known as pruning, is the act of removing dead or obstructing branches. When done properly, it improves the tree’s structure, reduces safety hazards, and promotes healthy growth patterns.

Overgrown trees can become scraggly, unbalanced, and misshapen, preventing them from receiving enough sunlight and nutrients. Contact Tree Trimming Fayetteville NC now!

Thinning, or pruning to reduce the density of a tree’s foliage and improve its structure and appearance, is essential in maintaining a forest’s health and vitality. It also increases light penetration to the ground, helps trees withstand winds and snowfall, and prevents damage from overly heavy branches or those growing in the wrong place, such as against buildings and power lines.

Thinning reduces the overall density of a forest stand by removing some of the slower-growing or defective trees. This allows the remaining trees to grow faster and be more resilient to environmental stresses.

As with weeding a garden, thinning reduces competition for sunlight and soil nutrients by making it easier for the remaining trees to grow. A more open canopy also promotes the growth of grasses, wildflowers, and native shrubs, which can enhance wildlife habitat and add to the value of a timber stand.

Forest thinning is the most common harvest method for timber companies east of the Cascades, because dense forests are more susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks and fuel larger, more destructive wildfires. Thinning restores the natural process of fire in these forests by creating space for other species besides ponderosa pine, and reduces the risk of fire spread from tree to tree.

Crown Lifting

Crown lifting involves the removal of lower branches from a tree, usually for safety reasons. This can be particularly useful in urban settings where low hanging branches obstruct traffic, pedestrians and property. Removing these lower branches opens up the space underneath and improves visibility, and also enhances the appearance of the canopy.

Unlike tree topping, which involves indiscriminate cutting of a tree’s foliage, crown lifting is a selective and careful process. It’s important to remember that it’s not a substitute for regular maintenance pruning and thinning.

Aiming for a clearance of 5m above the road is commonly seen as a good height to aim for when crown lifting a tree near roads. This allows high sided vehicles to pass easily and avoids any damage or obstruction to the trees or road.

It’s best to restrict crown lifting on mature, older trees to secondary branches or shortening of primary branches rather than the total removal wherever possible as large wounds from removal can lead to long term problems or even short term bio-mechanical instability. It’s also a good idea to encourage sideshoot development during the first year following crown lifting to help thicken and build up trunk structure in the future. This can be done by pruning the end of a sideshoot to 2-3 buds from base to leave a stub which will then shoot in the second season and fill the space left by the removed branch.

Dead Branches Removal

Dead limbs are not only unsightly and potentially dangerous, they can also pull on other limbs or the trunk of a tree, leading to a potential break. A broken tree branch can cause damage to people, cars, structures, or even power lines. A professional arborist should be consulted to properly remove these branches.

Aside from their unsightly appearance, dead limbs can be a sign of an underlying issue in the tree. A dying limb might be a result of fungus or other pests, rot or disease, growing too heavy and cracking, or being exposed to sunlight for too long. Removing these limbs can help the tree to grow stronger and direct energy to healthier areas of the plant.

While it is possible to prune a tree by hand, this type of work requires specific knowledge and tools that should be left to professionals. When done improperly, pruning can lead to serious injury and defeat the purpose of trimming.

The best time to trim a tree is during the middle to end of winter, when the leaves are gone and trees are dormant. During this time, the tree is less likely to be damaged by pruning and the pruning cuts can be better inspected to make sure they are clean and accurate. Pruning is a critical process for the health of a tree, and it is recommended that this work be done at least once a year.

Diseased Branches Removal

When a tree is dead or dying, it’s wasting energy and nutrients that could be used to grow more branches and foliage. It also can attract pests and disease. Removing these branches is a crucial part of regular trimming for many types of trees.

It helps protect your property, reduce safety hazards and improve the aesthetics of your yard. Overgrown limbs can hang over houses, cars or power lines and can pose serious threats in heavy storms. Many trips to the emergency room are caused by falling tree limbs.

It can be hard to tell when a branch is dead, so it’s best to remove any that you suspect are. A yearly schedule of tree pruning is important because unpruned branches can hide tree-killing arboreal diseases, like the Emerald Ash Borer or Chestnut Blight. These diseases spread from branch to branch, leaf to leaf, and flower to flower through weakened or diseased areas of a tree. When trimming a diseased or dead branch, be sure to make an undercut about halfway down the branch. This allows the saw to move through the wood without cutting into the trunk or other branches. The final cut should be made outside of the branch collar, or wide area around the base of the trunk. This prevents sap from flowing up the inside of the branch stub and causing wood damage.