Why Prune Your Trees?

Tree pruning may be done for a variety of reasons – and hiring a professional is often the best move.

Though many homeowners and nursery employees have their own methods of pruning trees, poorly pruned trees may be damaged permanently by sloppy or misjudged cutting. It’s important to make sure that a fully-trained professional oversees tree pruning to ensure that your trees are pruned and trimmed for the right reasons and in the right places.

There are several reasons to prune trees. It may be necessary to remove branches damaged by disease or by bad weather. Damaged or loose branches may also pose a threat to people passing underneath the tree and must often be removed for safety reasons. Improperly cutting these branches can result in a damaged tree.
Pruning may also be slightly more technical, with benefit to the tree itself. With careful and controlled pruning of the tree’s crown, an arborist can allow for new growth and permit better air circulation within the lower branches of the tree. Hiring a professional for this type of pruning is especially important, as climbing to high branches in a large tree is often dangerous and it’s easy to lose control of a large piece of equipment like a saw while climbing a high tree. Crown pruning must also be carefully controlled to allow for optimum air flow and growth.

Pruning may also be purely aesthetic or practical, such as pruning a tree into a specific shape or to remove obstructing branches. It’s important to consider the type of pruning that will be performed and decide whether to hire an expert. Taking proper care of one’s trees may not always be quick and simple, but professional attention can be affordable and is definitely worth it when deciding whether to prune your trees.