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Proper pruning and maintenance practices are important to maintain health and vitality to your trees. Pruning should begin 1-2 years after a tree is planted to help promote proper branch scaffolding and to eliminate possible problem limbs. However, in many cases, tree maintenance is neglected and maintenance must be performed to restore a tree. There are many different types of trimming techniques that can be performed for each situation such as: | Crown Cleaning: Removal of dead, broken, crossing, or unhealthy limbs to promote healing and new, healthy growth.
Crown Thinning: Removal of limbs from the inner and outer crown to help maintain an even distribution of viable limbs and to help decrease wind stress on limbs.
Crown Reduction: Different from topping, crown reduction reduces limbs to proper “lateral limbs” to allow continued function of the limb.
Crown Raising: Cutting of lower limbs to allow for clearance.
Side Trimming: Removal of limbs that may be encroaching a house, utility line, or even another tree.
All of the above techniques should be done in such a way that removes no more than 25% of the foliage in one growing season.
Vaughan's Tree Service, Inc. employs a staff ISA Certified Arborist to help plan the proper strategies for keeping your trees healthy and safe. Please be advised that “Topping” and “Heading” of a tree is considered poor practice and is not advocated by Vaughan's Tree Service, Inc. Topping significantly shortens the life of a tree by adding stress to the root system and weakening branch structure. For more information on the difference between proper trimming and “topping” see the following links: www.isa-arbor.com www.treecareindustry.org
The following pictures are of a large silver maple tree that has been pruned each year from 2005 to 2007. About 10 years prior to commencement of this project the tree was severely topped. Our goal was to help restore the tree by cleaning and thinning the crown over the first 2 years. The goal was to establish dominant leaders while eliminating unnecessary limbs. The third year was dedicated to crown reduction to help alleviate the stress on the points where the “sucker growth” had originated after topping. In each year, no more that 25% of the foliage was removed.
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