To keep the curb appeal of your property at a high level, mowing the lawn, watering the flowers, trees and shrubs isn’t going to be enough. In addition to all that, you’ll need to consider trimming and pruning. Trimming can be done on both trees and shrubs and it is used more for aesthetic purposes and pruning affects the safety of both you and the trees. Trees provide shade and clean air so the more we nurture them, the better the purpose they have in our yards.

Why Trim Trees?

If trees aren’t trimmed regularly they can look unbalanced as branches will grow in all kinds of directions. Professional tree trimming services can prevent this uneven growth and give the tree a better look by enhancing its natural shape. Trimming trees where a shade isn’t necessary can help prevent dense trees from blocking sunlight and rain from reaching the grass and flowers or obstructing your view.

Why Prune Trees?

Although tree pruning can also help beautify your yard, the main purpose is to help trees grow. When done properly, pruning can help the roots become stronger and make the tree healthier.

For any type of tree that isn’t able to produce fruit, if you get your trees pruned in a timely manner, you can encourage the growth of spurs and the tree might produce fruit the following year. Proper pruning can also make the tree healthier since you are removing dead limbs and that can also increase fruit production.

Trees are also susceptible to attracting diseases and with thorough pruning diseases can be treated and prevented from spreading furthermore. Hazardous branches can easily fall and cause an injury, damage your property and get tangled into electric lines – pruning your trees won’t let that happen. Calling professional services on time  will also help prevent such things from happening.

Does Pruning Hurt Trees?

Pruning can both benefit and hurt a tree which is why you should seek professional tree trimming services from businesses that have been in the industry for a long time. If not done properly, pruning can cause the tree to accumulate dead branches, develop low aggressive limbs and weak co-dominant stems that make for a poor appearance and .

Arborists prevent this by avoiding stripping bark using the 3-cut method. When cutting a branch they first make a relief cut which is usually around 15 cm to 30 cm away from the trunk. This cut is done on the underside of the branch and it goes in 1/4 of the branch’s thickness.

The first cut is made as a stopping point in case the bark tears when the branch is falling. They make the second cut 15 cm to 30 cm away from the first cut – this is a top-down cut which severs the branch from the tree. The last, third cut is made flush with the branch collar to remove the remaining part of the branch.

How Trees Recover

While tree trimming and pruning are beneficial methods, the tree is still getting cut and causes each branch or limb that’s removed causes a bruise. The trees recover through a process called compartmentalization. This is also known as CODIT (Compartmentalisation of Disease In Trees) and during this 20 year process the tree encases the wound with four walls which allow it to grow and flourish.

The first wall of conductive vascular tissue is created above and below the wound i.e where the cut was made. This stops potential infections and diseases to spread from the tissue within the cambium layer. This forming of this wall lasts up to 3 years after the branch has been removed.

The second wall of protection is a thick latewood ring on the outer and inner ring of the wound and it forms usually 5 years after the branch gets removed.

The third layer is formed by the 10th anniversary of the branch removal and it is created by ray cells in a maze-like barrier to prevent decay. Some of the ray cells are altered chemically during this process which makes them toxic to some microorganisms.

The fourth and strongest wall is fully formed 20 years from the branch’s removal and it is also called the barrier wall (zone). This layer is made of special wood tissue which closes the wound with a new layer of wood. Although tree compartmentalisation takes roughly between 15 to 20 years to cover up the exterior, the internal process is way more effective and faster.