Annual pruning of trees and shrubs is a great way to keep your trees and shrubs healthy while enhancing the beauty of your landscape. Removing dead branches, unwanted new branches, and diseased branches helps improve the health and appearance of the tree and allows the remaining branches to grow stronger.
There are different types of pruning methods depending on your goals. Crown thinning removes a selection of branches in the crown of the tree to improve the trees structure and appearance. Crown thinning also allows for improved air flow and light penetration in the crown of the tree.
Crown raising involves removing branches at the lower level of the tree to allow clearance for pedestrians or vehicles or for visual aesthetics. Crown reduction may be necessary for trees that grown too tall.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but many arborists prefer to prune trees in the winter when the tree is dormant and there are no leaves on the tree. The lack of leaves makes it easier for the arborist to inspect the branches and identify dead or diseased branches. Also, without its leaves, a tree’s architecture is more clearly on display and it’s easier to maintain the tree’s balance and appearance.
Tree pruning is best left to an experienced arborist. They have the training, experience, and equipment to properly prune without injuring the tree or posing a threat to people or property on the ground. Improper pruning can cause damage to a tree and can result in the loss of the tree altogether.
Heavy snow and ice are the most obvious cause of serious damage to trees and shubs, but even without heavy snow falls cold weather can cause tree damage in other ways. High winds and wide temperature swings stress trees and shrubs and leaves them vulnerable to other types of damage and disease. Taking precautions now can reduce the impact of winter weather on your trees and shrubs.
Tree branches heavily laden with buildups of ice and snow can break, damaging the tree and also posing a hazard to people and property below. Careful tree pruning can eliminate weak branches and promote the growth of strong branches. In a few cases, braces or other cables may be needed to provide added support. It is best to hire a professional arborist for pruning. They understand how to safely prune a tree without placing the tree in jeopardy.
Winter winds bring cold, dry air that can dry out trees and shrubs, especially evergreens. Trees and shrubs that get too dry can suffer permanent damage if the root system is unable to replenish lost moisture. Fall watering and plenty of mulch around the base of the tree to protect the roots can limit damage from drying by preventing the ground from freezing and providing a source of water.
During the day, the sun heats the trees bark as much as ten to fifteen degrees higher than the outside ambient temperature. When he sun goes down, the temperature drops quickly causing damage to the tree. Your arborist can help suggest ways limit temperature swings such as covering the trunk with tree wrap.
In addition to the initial investment in purchasing and planting a tree, keeping the tree healthy throughout its lifespan requires incurring some additional costs. Mulching and watering are relatively low cost, but as the grows and matures you may need to retain the services of an arborist to identify and treat any diseases or infestations, take care of annual pruning, and otherwise maintain the tree. However, the investment in a tree returns rewards on many levels.
In addition to enhancing the beauty of your landscaping, trees have many benefits. Trees improve the environment by enhancing air quality and moderating the climate. Trees filter the air by capturing dust and other particles which are later washed to the ground by rain water. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants and give off oxygen.
Trees cool the area around them in the summer months by absorbing energy from the sun or reflecting the sun’s rays. Trees are one of the primary methods used to decrease the “heat island” effect felt in urban areas where natural vegetation has been replaced by roads, parking lots and buildings. Wind and wind driven rain, snow, hail and sleet are redirected and moderated by trees.
Trees also offer economic benefits including reduced energy costs. Trees that provide shade in the summer help keep homes cool and reduce air conditioning costs. Trees that provide wind breaks in the winter lower a home’s heating costs. Another direct economic benefit is the increased property value that comes from the addition of attractive trees to the landscaping.
Trees are an excellent addition to any landscape. They offer many benefits, not the least of which is enhancing the beauty of your home. Before you rush off to your local nursery or home improvement center, take few minutes to consider a few factors that will affect what type of tree or trees will best fulfill your needs. Also, consider discussing your tree needs with certified arborist. They are tree experts and can help you select the right tree.
First, you want to think about what you want the tree to do. Is it only being planted to add beauty and color to your landscape or do you expect the tree to provide shade or to break the wind? Next, consider where you want to place the tree. How much room is there for the tree to grow? Look for overhead power lines and other obstructions that could limit the height of the tree or the circumference of its crown. What about underground obstructions such as leach fields, sewer lines, and foundations.
The soil conditions where you want to place the tree will affect what types of trees are suitable. Does the soil drain well or does it retain standing water after a heavy or prolonged rain? Is the soil rich and fertile or is it sandy or have a high clay content?
Finally, how much maintenance are you willing to commit to? Some trees, especially those not native to your area, will need much more care than others. Are you willing to handle or hire an arborist to handle pruning, fertilizing, watering, insect and disease control and other tree maintenance? Or would you prefer a lower maintenance tree?
Once you have considered these questions, you will be ready to talk to your local nursery about a tree that will be a great fit for you and your landscape.
Trees are a wonderful feature of any property. They add beauty, provide shade, and impart a sense of serenity and majesty. However, trees can pose a hazard to people and property. Falling trees and tree limbs can seriously injure people and cause severe damage to property. They can also fall on power lines causing power outages and creating electrocution hazards.
If you have identified a tree that potentially poses a hazard to people or property, have the tree evaluated by a certified arborist or experienced professional tree service. If the hazardous condition is confirmed, you may have options to manage the hazardous tree and reduce or eliminate the threat. Your arborist or tree professional will probably offer some suggestions. Be sure to consider all your options.
The only way to completely remove the hazard is to relocate the property that it threatened or to remove tree. If moving the threatened property is not feasible or if the tree poses a threat to people, you may be to remove the tree. If you choose to remove the tree, be sure you are not creating new hazards by damaging surrounding trees.
Pruning the tree may reduce or eliminate the hazardous condition. Tree pruning can damage the tree or can make the tree unbalanced so be sure that any pruning is done by an experienced arborist or tree professional.
Other alternatives may include bracing the tree to reduce the risk of falling, treating the tree for infestations, and providing the tree with proper nourishment. Your arborist or tree professional will help you determine if these are feasible options for reducing any hazards posed by your trees.
Trees add beauty to our homes and are a vital part of the environment. They provide homes for wildlife, shade for our homes, improve air quality, and help lower summertime temperatures. However, trees can pose a hazard to people and property. A falling tree or large branch can seriously injure or kill a person and can do severe damage to your home.
In addition, trees that fall and take down power lines have additional consequences. In addition to power outages, the downed power lines pose a very serious risk of electrocution and even been known to start fires. A tree that poses a threat to a power line is a serious hazard that should be corrected.
Property owners should be aware of the condition of the trees on their property and learn to recognize signs of potentially hazardous trees. If any of these signs are observed, you should have the tree evaluated by a reputable tree service or professional arborist. A tree professional will be able to determine if the hazardous condition poses a significant threat and make recommendations for corrective action such as tree removal or tree pruning.
Some conditions to look out for include large dead branches, branches hanging in the tree, large cavities in the trunk, cracks or splits where large branches attach to the trunk, a strong lean, presence of nearby dead trees, nearby fallen trees, recent changes to the area around the tree that may have affected its roots such as construction, grading, and installation of roads, sidewalks or underground utilities.
Call a certified arborist or experienced tree professional if you think there are hazardous trees on your property.
The surprise early season snow storm that struck the Northeastern United States is an excellent reminder that falling trees and limbs can be hazardous to people and property. The heavy snow fall downed thousands of trees and tree limbs killing several people and severely damaging hundreds of homes and cars.
Avoid this problem by having a reputable tree service inspect your property for trees and branches that pose a threat to you and your home. Now is the time to have these unsafe branches and trees removed before the next snowfall brings them down on your home, your car, or worse, on you or your family.
Trees and branches don’t have to be dead in order to threaten your home. A tree that leans toward your home or is unbalanced can fall without warning if enough snow accumulates on the tree. The tree can look healthy and in fact it can even be healthy, yet still pose a hazard.
Recently, two giant redwood trees in a California park fell without warning. These trees stood for hundreds of years and appeared perfectly healthy, but fell for reasons that have not yet been determined. In similar cases, trees that have stood for years have fallen when the ground is wetter than usual and a windstorm or snowstorm puts enough pressure on the tree to overcome the root system’s ability to hold the tree in place.
The lesson to take from these redwood trees and the October snowstorm is not to take your trees for granted. It is better to have your trees examined by a reputable tree service and remove the dangerous trees at your convenience before they fall rather than removing them after they have fallen and injured or killed someone or damaged your home or car.
The recent October snowstorm that surprised residents in the Northeast US this past week serves as a reminder that trees and winter weather can be a dangerous combination. When heavy, wet snow or ice accumulates on trees, it can topple the entire or break off large branches. Add high winds and the potential for disaster is even worse. The recent snow storm brought down an unusually large number of trees because of the heavy, wet snow and the fact that most of the trees still had leaves on them to hold more snow and weight.
Falling trees and tree branches are hazardous to life and property. Numerous deaths from the snow storm have been blamed on trees and branches falling and striking pedestrians, vehicles and homes. In addition, falling trees severely damaged thousands of homes and vehicles.
In addition to directly injuring or killing people and damaging property, falling trees and branches take down power lines. These power lines remain live until emergency personnel can shut off the power. If you encounter a tree or branch that took down a power line, stay away from it. You can be electrocuted by just touching the tree.
The same holds true if you are trapped in a car by a fallen tree. Unless the car is on fire or you are otherwise in danger, stay in the car until emergency personnel arrive and tell you it is safe to exit the vehicle. Otherwise you run the risk of being electrocuted exiting the vehicle.
For downed trees on your property, call a tree service that handles emergency tree removal. They have the experience and equipment to safely removed storm damaged trees.
The Eastern Hemlock is an evergreen tree that is native to the Appalachians and can be found from North Georgia to Maine. In Georgia, hemlocks flourish in the North Georgia Mountains and can be found as far south as northern Fulton County.
For the past few years, hemlocks have been dying in large numbers due to infestations from the hemlock woody adelgid, a tiny, non-native insect. These insects have been spreading south every year and have now spread nearly to the southernmost edge of the hemlock’s range in Georgia.
Left untreated, the hemlock woody adelgid will kill a healthy hemlock in a short period of time. If you have hemlocks on your North Atlanta area property, contact a tree service with a certified arborist about inspecting and treating your hemlocks. While there is no way to eradicate the hemlock woody adelgid, there are methods that can be used to control the population and save your hemlocks. Even if your hemlock is already infested, it may not be too late to save the tree.
If your hemlock is too diseased to save, talk to your arborist or tree service about options for removing the tree. A dead tree is a hazard to your property and you should remove it before it can cause any damage. In addition, removing an infested tree that cannot be saved may help slow the spread of the hemlock woody adelgid.
For more information about treating your hemlocks to control the spread of the hemlock woody adelgid, talk to a certified arborist.
Trees often need to be pruned for many different reasons. Trees may need to be pruned to remove weak or dead branches, to allow light and air to penetrate the crown, or to eliminate hazardous branches.
If you need tree pruning services, you can try to do the work yourself, but the better alternative is to hire a professional arborist to handle your tree pruning needs. This is particularly true if the work will need to be done off of the ground or will involve the use of a chain saw. Pruning can be dangerous work. In addition, improper pruning can jeopardize the health of the tree. Arborists have the training and experience to know how to safely prune your trees while preserving the health of the tree as much as possible.
Although many arborists work for tree services that also handle tree removal, there is a difference between an arborist and a person skilled at tree removal. An arborist is a person who has special training and skills in caring for trees. They are skilled at pruning, disease control, and other tree care techniques. A tree removal expert has the skills to safely remove a tree.
Some people are skilled arborists and have tree removal expertise, but if your trees need pruning, make sure it is done by a certified arborist. As always, be sure the arborist has workman’s compensation insurance and liability insurance. Tree pruning involves an element of risk and no matter how skilled your arborist may be, accidents can happen and you don’t want to be held liable for any injuries or damage.
