Keeping trees healthy may appear simple at first glance: they need ample sun and water but can otherwise care for themselves. However, the reality of tree health is much trickier. Numerous influential factors are at play in keeping trees sturdy and handsome. Pruning, for instance, is necessary for maintaining their health yet can lead to disaster when overdone. Therefore, amateurs should seek professional tree pruning services to protect their trees’ health.
Timber Works Tree Care understands the importance of maintaining the health and integrity of Northern Virginia’s trees. Along with pruning, our professional tree care services include land clearing, stump grinding, forestry mulching, and more. Our team uses the latest techniques and equipment to prune, ensuring your trees stay strong and stable for years. Visit our website or call (540) 254-5773 for a free project estimate.
Below, we review tree pruning practices to watch out for and avoid:
Tree Topping
A common pruning mistake—and sometimes shortcut—tree topping involves chopping off a tall tree’s uppermost end without regard for consequences. Doing so reduces the number of healthy branches and leaves, while the severed ends of those limbs attract invasive pests and diseases. Trees often respond to topping by rapidly growing new, weak branches that can easily fall in storms.
Topped trees’ reduced number of leaves makes photosynthesis more difficult and leads to declining tree health, as it must work harder to produce food and nutrients. The wounds from tree topping also require significant energy to heal, which can be fatal for young trees. Topping can harm trees to the point that they require removal a few years afterward.
Cutting the Branch Collar
The trimming process itself presents dangers to tree health. For instance, one must avoid damaging the branch collar—the raised area of the branch close to the trunk. The branch collar supports the transportation of water and nutrients throughout the tree, so cutting the collar could result in tree death. If the tree survives initial branch collar damage, the wound provides an entry point for pests and diseases. Therefore, Timber Works arborists follow guidelines to avoid cutting a limb too close to the trunk.
Canopy Trimming
While general tree trimming is best done during the winter—as trees are standing dormant—you should have dead branches pruned as soon as possible. Nevertheless, always hire a professional to handle such tasks. They can trim the canopy of an overgrown tree to permit light to pass through the foliage, improve photosynthesis, and protect the tree’s health.
Yet removing too much canopy may leave insufficient shade across the tree’s body, which allows the sun’s rays to hit the tree’s bark directly instead of being filtered through the leaves. The tree then suffers sunscald, which damages the bark and tissue of the tree. Overpruning the canopy also reduces the tree’s ability to produce food, leading to malnutrition. A tree care specialist knows that removing 25-30% of the foliage allows wind to pass through yet provides coverage for the tree’s trunk and branches.
Timber Works Tree Care: Tree Pruning Services in Northern Virginia
Contact professional tree trimming providers to ensure your trees remain safe and healthy year-round. Timber Works Tree Care provides the best local tree care services in Northern Virginia, leveraging tools and techniques that ensure your trees remain safe and intact. We remove anything that could harm your tree and leave them room to grow in good health. Timber Works has a decade of service that includes experience in stump grinding, tree removal, land clearing, and more. Call (540) 254-5773 for more information about our services and receive a free consultation.
