Have you ever looked at some of the trees in your local neighbourhood and wondered why they look so beautiful and healthy, compared to yours? When was the last time you invested in professional tree pruning?
Although a lot of what makes trees look good comes naturally, they do require a considerable amount of maintenance and care to really make them look their best. One of the most important maintenance jobs is pruning and in the following post, we are going to discuss why.
Tree Pruning – What is it?
Tree pruning is a procedure involving the cutting and removal of parts of a tree, like diseased or dead buds, branches, and even roots. There are various benefits for the tree if pruning is done properly. Not only does it benefit trees, but it also creates a safer environment. How?
Important Reasons Why Your Trees Need to Be Pruned
To understand how vital tree pruning is, let’s break it down a little into three specific areas:
- Health Reasons
- Structural Reasons
- Safety Reasons
Health Reasons
Pruning normally involves the cutting and removal of dead/diseased branches and other parts of a tree. When unhealthy branches that can’t be saved are cut and removed, it allows the tree to concentrate on developing healthier and stronger branches.
You also need to think about why tree branches suffer from diseases or die off. The three most common causes are:
- Storm Damage
- Insect Infestation
- Sunlight Exposure
- Exposure to extreme
- changes between hot and cold temperatures
Structural Reasons
It is vital for trees to have structural integrity, particularly when they are still very young and developing. Appropriate pruning can help newly planted and young trees to develop a much sturdier structure, luscious and beautiful form, and robust limbs.
Safety Reasons
If trees planted on your property are close to buildings or structures like your house, shed or garage, they may pose safety risks, if the branches or limbs become weak or die due to disease. As a result, they could easily break and cause serious damage or even injury.
On the other hand, if trees on your property are strong and healthy and keep growing taller and taller, they could become a fire hazard if they come into contact with overhead power lines.
Other Unexpected Benefits of Tree Pruning
While these are reason enough to show why should invest in tree pruning services, there are also some less obviously benefits too.
Improves the Flow of Pedestrians and Traffic – When trees are located near bike trails, driveways, footpaths and sidewalks, pruning can help to keep runaway branches out of the way and allow a freer flow of traffic and/or pedestrians
Prevents Road Signs from Being Hidden – When trees grow too big and have wide limbs and branches close to roads, these can sometimes cover over road signs, preventing motorists from being able to spot them and pay attention to them. Removing those branches and limbs stops that from happening.
Reduces Chance of Leaf Disease – If a tree is not pruned properly or regularly, the airflow through the canopy is restricted that results in a build of moisture that can lead to the spread of disease in the leaves and branches.
Reduces the Chance of Too Much shade Stopping Other Plants from Growing – If you have other plants in the ground around your tree or nearby and the branches and limbs are stretched out over these, it could be blocking out important sunlight. Pruning is the best way to prevent this from happening.
As you can see, tree pruning is not just something you should leave to the last minute or only worry about when your trees are starting to look bad or become dangerous. It is an essential part of maintaining and caring for your trees.
