The presence or lack of deadwood provides a year-round indicator of your trees’ condition and vulnerability. Doing so is especially important during spring, as diseases and insects start ramping up. Still, deadwood is a natural part of all trees’ lifecycles, and proper pruning ensures trees allocate their resources towards living growth. For a safe, effective pruning job, hire a professional tree service to take care of your tree trimming.
Timber Works Tree Care is among Shenandoah Valley and Northern Virginia’s top-rated tree companies. Our licensed and insured arborists happily serve our clients in and around Middletown, VA. We deliver outstanding workmanship, safe practices, and excellent customer service on every project. For affordable and trustworthy tree services, contact Timber Works at (540) 692-9606.
Below, we discuss the main symptoms of deadwood and how we treat them:
Leaf Retention
A common indicator of deadwood’s presence, leaf retention refers to the failure of a branch to “drop” its leaves during autumn. Keep in mind that some deciduous tree species retain their leaves longer than others, including oak, sapling, and beech trees. Moreover, evergreen trees—such as pine and cypress—will keep their leaves all year long.
Nevertheless, inspect your deciduous trees for leaf drop during the fall. Keep an eye out for branches that retain their leaves despite the rest of their host tree’s leaves dropping off.
Smooth Wood or Missing Bark
Another important sign of deadwood, shedding bark tends to occur in seasons other than autumn and on trees where leaf drop is a less-than-effective indicator of deadwood. Although bark falls off trees naturally, a healthy branch replaces the missing patch with new bark. New bark does not grow on deadwood, and the tree’s smooth interior layers remain exposed.
If you notice an area missing bark but are unsure about the presence of deadwood, try the scratch test. Carefully shave a small area of the smooth, exposed layer of wood. If the underlying layer is green, the branch is still alive. If it’s brown, you’ve discovered deadwood. You can administer this test at any time of the year.
Preventative Tree Trimming
Although deadwood occurs naturally, it must be trimmed to protect its host tree’s overall health. Hire a certified, professional tree care service to handle this project for you since careful pruning is required. Attempting to prune a tree yourself can cause more problems than it solves and put both you and the tree in danger.
Timber Works: A Professional Tree Service You Can Trust
Your expert tree service in Middletown, VA, Timber Works Tree Care offers everything from tree trimming to land clearing by our licensed and insured tree professionals. We provide high-quality, comprehensive tree care. For tree trimming and more expert tree services, visit our website or call (540) 692-9606 today.
