Your seasonal or biannual tree care routine should include a professional inspection. Specifically, this inspection should evaluate the condition of your trees’ leaves, branches, trunks, and roots. Doing so can reveal issues that require professional or routine care methods. So, contact your local tree care service to assess your trees and advise you on care practices.
Timber Works Tree Care offers such services to residents of Stephens City, VA. Our arborists examine and diagnose trees for illness and structural concerns. We always aim to determine how we can best care for your trees. Moreover, our professional team has both Workers’ Comp and liability insurance to help protect our customers. Contact us at (540) 692-9606 to receive a free estimate.
Below, we provide a tree care spring checklist:
1. Leaves
Leaves often indicate a tree’s health. Thus, we examine their color, growth pattern, and formation. Branches that fail to produce leaves year-round may be dead, damaged, or decaying and require pruning. Furthermore, dry leaves can result from winter tree scorch—or may simply need water.
Leaves that are yellow but supposed to be green may indicate a nutrient deficiency. While most mature trees don’t require nutrition supplementation, trees with yellow leaves may need fertilizer.
2. Branches
Harsh winter temperatures can cause branches to become brittle and crack. Therefore, we look for cracked and hanging branches, which require tree trimming. Branches that lack bark or produce fungus may also need trimming to prevent the transmission of disease or decay to the rest of the tree.
While spring is not an ideal time for major trimming, it may be your best chance to remove impeding branches from trees (as long as they comprise less than 10% of the foliage). Also, avoid trimming trees that flower in early spring until after their blossoms fade.
3. Trunk
Common forms of winter tree trunk damage include sunscald and frost cracks. Trees can solve these problems themselves through a process called compartmentalization, in which the tree cuts off damaged areas from affecting the rest of the trunk and branches. However, you must ensure that the tree remains structurally sound. Issues that damage more than 25% of the trunk’s circumference often require complete tree removal.
Also, keep an eye out for open wounds and bark loss. They often constitute signs of fungus or decay. Some fungi can be cut out of trees with a careful technique.
4. Roots
Tree root concerns often manifest throughout the tree, such as a thinning canopy and smaller leaf size. A professional can inspect and recognize such signs, then determine whether your trees’ roots suffer from rot and improper growth. Roots may become blocked by nearby structures, or they may grow in a circular pattern. These issues can prevent trees from anchoring to the ground.
Timber Works Tree Care: Preferred Tree Care Service in Stephens City, VA
Turn to Timber Works for your spring tree care service in Stephens City, VA. We are comfortable with diverse tree varieties and environmental conditions common to the region. Our services include tree cutting, land clearing, and brush clearing among others. Contact us at (540) 692-9606 for a free estimate.
