Trees have the potential to become massive if allowed. The trees in your yard may have been tiny when you first bought your home, but now are soaring far past your comfort level. You, or your neighbor, might even worry about the tree falling and creating significant damage during severe weather. If this sounds familiar, you might wonder how to handle these overly large trees. Today on the blog, our ISA-certified arborists in the Tri-Cities share some tips on how to handle large trees and maintain their shape and beauty.
Tree Trimming and Pruning
This technique is ideal when property owners want to maintain the shape and beauty of their trees. Tree trimming has many benefits. It removes dead or dying branches to prevent potential damage to your property (or your neighbor’s). It also helps visually by maintaining the tree’s shape. And it allows for proper airflow throughout the tree’s canopy, which helps reduce the risk of tree diseases, pests, and fungal growth.
Methods of Pruning
There are two types of pruning methods that you may hear about: tree topping and crown reduction. How do you know which method delivers the best results and not harm or disfigure your tree? Find out what our Kingsport arborists recommend.
What is Tree Topping?
Tree topping may also be referred to as hat-racking, heading, or rounding over. It involves removing branches from the top of the tree. It essentially means cutting off the entire upper portion of the tree. Not only is this visually unappealing, but it could cause significant damage to the tree. Our arborists recommend tree topping only if you plan on removing the tree.
Here are the disadvantages of tree topping:
- Reduces the tree’s energy-producing capabilities
- Triggers regrowth in an unattractive way
- Permanently disfigures the tree
- Makes the tree susceptible to fungal decay and disease
- Could ultimately cause the tree to die
This isn’t to say that tree topping is never advised. There are cases where a tree may be so severely damaged or diseased that topping it may be recommended as a last resort. However, if your goal is to promote growth, health, and beauty, then topping is not the answer.
What should I do instead?
Crown reduction is a common technique used by arborists to control the tree’s size and shape. This technique involves removing the tree’s foliage instead of its healthy branches, which helps shape the tree and reduce its size. The uppermost limbs are cut shorter, which helps decrease its size. No more than 20% of the tree’s canopy should be removed at once to avoid causing damage to the tree.
Benefits of crown reduction include:
- Improves sun exposure
- Improves air circulation, which helps reduce the risk of disease and fungal growths
- Removes dead and dying limbs to reduce safety hazards
- Maintains the tree’s size
- Promotes growth of blooms and fruit
Hire a Professional Tree Expert
As you can see, tree care is best left to the experts like the ISA-certified arborists in Kingsport at Promier Tree. Trees can add value and beauty to your property. Just like caring for your home, you wouldn’t want to trust anyone that isn’t qualified and experienced to do the job. If you would like to schedule a tree consultation, just call Promier Tree at (423) 765-2626. We provide our services to the entire Tri-Cities area, including Kingsport, Bristol, and Johnson City.