Is It Healthy to Trim Trees?

If you find yourself peering out your window wondering if you should be trimming your trees, the answer is maybe! Whether you are concerned about dead branches, the appearance of your tree, or your tree’s overall health, trimming could be a good option.

Situations Where Tree Trimming is Beneficial

1. Dead or Diseased Branches

Dead pruning, also known as ‘crown cleaning’ is the removal of dead, diseased, or dying branches. Removing branches like these are important for several reasons. If a branch is carrying a disease, it is best to remove it quickly before it spreads to the rest of the tree. Dead or dying branches also always carry the risk of injuring a person when they fall or damaging property. Dead pruning also improves the overall appearance of your tree as you are only leaving the healthy branches.

2. Enhancing Air & Light Penetration

Crown thinning is the removal of branches from your tree to open the canopy. Opening up the canopy allows for improved air circulation and light penetration for the remaining tree branches.

3. Thinning out the Tree

Crown lifting is the removal of the lower hanging branches from the tree. This technique essentially gives a ‘lifted’ effect to the tree. This could be done to better match the structure of your home or to clear sidewalks and driveways. However, because the lower branches are often some of the larger ones, this will leave sizable wounds on your tree and may not be a good idea if your tree is on the older side.

4. Shortening the Tree

Crown reduction is the removal of branches near the top of the tree. This type of tree trimming is best done by a professional who understands the growth pattern of the tree. Crown reduction is also often only recommended for younger trees.

5. Extending the Life of Tree

Pollarding is the process of removing all of the primary branches from a tree. This should be done when the tree is young. It is recommended that pollarding be done a few times while the tree is young. Pollarded trees tend to live longer than non-pollarded trees.

How Often Should I Trim My Trees?

You now know some of the reasons why trees need trimming and the benefits of it. So, how often should you trim? This depends a lot on the age and the type of tree. Mature trees should be trimmed about every 3-5 years. Younger trees should be trimmed every 2-3 years. If you have a fruit tree, it should be trimmed every year. Fruit trees need to be trimmed often to produce quality fruit. Having a large fruit tree with too many branches can use up valuable nutrients that could rather be used to produce fruit. Evergreen trees usually do not need to be trimmed often or at all.

More Reasons To Trim

Still reluctant to trim your tree? Maybe you have a lot of them on your property and it seems like an overwhelming project to tackle. Here are a few more reasons to consider trimming:

1. Counterbalancing Root Loss

If there is damage done to the roots of the tree from construction or other disturbances, it may be beneficial to remove branches to keep the tree alive.

2. Early Detection of Disease

It is easy to detect disease in your tree when performing routine tree trimming. If you notice the disease soon enough, you may be able to treat it and possibly save the life of your tree!

3. Improve the Appearance

When you correctly trim your trees, you can shape them to look exactly how you want. Unkempt trees can even lower the value of your property as they are unappealing and sometimes dangerous. Pruning your trees regularly will keep your property looking kept up and manageable.

Need a Tree Specialist?

LTRC-Tree Specialists take pride in helping clients with their tree issues. We specialize in Low Impact Tree Removal & Dangerous Tree Removal. We guarantee that we will work hard until you are satisfied! Visit our website or call us at (404) 977-4518.