PRUNING
Pruning a tree is not just limbing it up or cutting branches. It is calculated, methodical work based on years of practical science aimed at minimizing rot. We apply best practices when caring for your trees.
When cutting live or dead branches we follow multiple rules to make proper cuts. If you are wondering what a proper cut is, please ask us or just have us make them.
Care is taken to avoid large wounds in the tree, particularly the main trunk. Often this means a branch is too big to remove. It also means we should not make too many cuts within a small area on the trunk as it can open it up to rot.
All this becomes quite a lot to keep track of, now add doing it hanging from a rope. We take great care to minimize damage to small live shoots, leaves and bark when climbing and removing tree branches out of the canopy. Ignoring these during work on a tree can leave the tree in worse condition than before the climber entered.
We do not prune invasive species; we make them safe or remove them.
The picture above shows an old wound closure from a cut we made to remove a codominant branch; a process which reduces the chance of failure years down the road. The wound is closed up in a 'V' pattern which contains live tissue on the outside. We waited four years for this wound to close to make the next proper cut nearby. Our care plan for this tree and many others is not accomplished through one visit. This is one important reason why we prefer to sustain relationships with trees and our customers.