Trees have been growing in the woods unhindered for hundreds of years, reaching out tall and strong. They have never been touched by a saw, so why now do we need to prune and maintain our trees? Well, a tree will self-prune itself to an extent, cutting off nutrients to limbs that are not producing energy anymore, killing them. Unfortunately, trees do not care about their limbs growing over our houses, shading our lawns, or otherwise being a mess. That is where we come in!

There is a lot of thought that goes into proper pruning, which is the main difference between pruning and trimming. If you are cutting on a tree with little care for the tree's structure/health we would call that trimming. When you are cutting on a tree with the specific intent of preserving the tree and maintaining/increasing its health then we would consider that pruning. Each style is necessary if you pruned every tree alongside a power line you would never be able to keep up with demand, but if you trim a tree in your front yard it can grow back structurally unsound branches, rotten and unhealed wounds, and push out unsightly epicormic growth.

We are knowledgeable and practice the proper pruning techniques as defined by the International Society of Arboriculture, or ISA for short. Even during a trimming job, we pay attention to our cuts, not leaving stubs and avoiding cutting into the branch collar. Part of our ability to make proper cuts comes down to having the proper equipment. Our equipment is top-of-the-line, high-end saws that are always sharp, a tall bucket truck, and the best climbing gear you can buy. That ensures that we are always properly positioned to make great cuts that will heal properly and not affect the structure of the tree, preserving your beautiful tree for years to come.

Trees grow everywhere, often in far from convenient places. That is why we have both a bucket truck and a tree climber. The bucket truck is fast, allowing the operator to make pruning cuts in places that are hard to reach, but sometimes you cannot get the truck to the tree. If your tree is in your tight backyard, on a steep slope, surrounded by other trees, or overtop of sensitive sewer or water lines, we might need to bring in the climber. Fueled by a pot of black coffee and a love of trees, the climber can scale up the tree, walking out on limbs to be pruned, tying a rope to them, and cutting just right to ensure that they always land where he needs, all without needing the heavy bucket truck to bring him where he needs.

If you have any questions on how to properly prune your tree or how to identify future structural problems before they occur, check out our blog post or past Facebook posts! We always offer free advice as well and love talking about trees, so if you are wanting to tackle the project yourself, reach out and we can help you! And of course, if you are finding yourself too busy to get at your tree projects, stop barking up the wrong tree and Text or Call us today! 320-321-3677