Gum tree species are famous for their rapid growth properties. When left unkempt, eucalyptus trees can become unmanageable if they aren’t pruned properly or consistently. Pruning your gum trees not only helps manage the rapid growth of the trees, but will reduce leaf litter in your garden and will improve the overall curb appeal of your property. 

Eucalyptus trees are also susceptible to wind damage, which occurs when weak branches are broken off and can cause damage to healthy sections of the tree or structures around it. Annual tree trimming can help prevent excessive damage to your gum tree. 

Some of the ways you may consider trimming your tree include crown thinning, canopy life, dead wording, and single-branch removal. Canopy thinning involves the removal of sending and third-order branches from the canopy of the tree to reduce the volume of branches. This allows more sunlight to penetrate the canopy and helps the overall health of the tree. Canopy lift involves cutting lower branches to heighten the canopy of the tree. This is helpful for areas that may have heavy traffic: car parks, schools, and walkways. You may also want to perform building/structure clearance trimming to reduce the risk of gum tree branches falling on or damaging pre-existing structures. 

If you decide to take tree trimming into your own hands, you can use a sturdy pair of loppers or clippers to remove branches that are less than four centimetres in diameter. It is important that you trim damaged branches from where they emerge from the healthy wood. You can cut the branch back to within one or two centimetres of the leaf bud or healthy branching twig. 

You can also trim out any of the interior branches that are crossing or are close enough together to knock into each other when it is windy. This can help prevent interior branch damage in your tree. 

Thinning out top-heavy branches can also be done to control the height of your tree. If you cannot do this from standing on the ground or need a ladder, it is probably best to call in a professional arborist. They are highly skilled and have proper equipment to trim taller trees safely.

Each of these serve their own specific purpose, and when done improperly could damage your gum trees. This is why it is important to call in professional arborists to perform tree trimming services if you don’t have experience yourself. Dynamic Arborist is a team of professional arborists that are highly trained and certified in tree maintenance and care. Give us a call for a complimentary assessment and quote regarding trimming and caring for your gum trees.