The Whys of Trimming Trees

With Spring around the corner, our minds go to the birds and bees (pollinators) and what they pollinate. For most of us, what springs (Pun intended!) to mind is a bee, butterfly, or hummingbird with its nose in a flower. Flowers scream Spring, but they're not the only plants that bloom in this most fertile of seasons. Our trees, the monarchs of our landscape, also shine in warmer weather. So it's time to talk about tree trimming and care to ensure your trees are getting what they need. But when our trees already seem so mighty, it's reasonable to ask ourselves why tree care, particularly a trim, is necessary. When you live in the modern world, in a house in a neighborhood like Towanda, there are two primary reasons for tree trimming and, within those, some sub-reasons. Divine will share each today so that your trees can stay heavenly.

Why Trim Trees?

There are two primary reasons for tree trimming

• To improve your tree health
• To create a more pleasing aesthetic and to fit within spacial constraints

Of course, there are additional reasons you may need to trim a tree and several reasons within each of these, but the majority of trimming will fall into these categories.

Tree Health

The most important reason to trim your trees is for their health. Trimming stimulates growth and allows more air to circulate around them, discouraging fungus from reaching more leaves and branches and removing weak ones before any fall to the ground below.

Not the Same as Pruning

Trimming should not be confused with pruning. Pruning is also for a tree's health, but unlike trimming, it focuses on removing sick or thick branches too close together so the rest of the tree remains healthy and has equal exposure to light and water.

Aesthetic

Unlike pruning which is strictly for the health of your tree, trimming is often explicitly performed to increase the aesthetic appeal of your landscape. As homeowners, part of the appeal of trees is the beauty they bring to our homes. However, sometimes trees don't grow as we'd like, so shape-ups help maintain our landscapes' aesthetic appeal. There are a few ways we use tree trimming for aesthetic appeal.

Thinning

Thinning out your branches does not change the shape of your tree. Instead, it creates more room between them. It's like when you go to your barber and hairdresser and ask for even cuts everywhere. The appeal of thinning is it keeps the tree healthy by creating more room and maintains the shape of your trees for a natural but beautiful look.

Shaping

Often trees grow unevenly, which could be for many reasons. For example, if one side of the tree is in shadow, the other side may grow thicker or more expansive. Damage to trees from animals or weather can also change the shape of a tree, even subtly. You can shape a tree with careful tree trimming to look more symmetrical.

Crown Raising

Raising the crown of your tree is a specific form of shaping. It involves creating more space toward the bottom of the tree. Homeowners typically raise a tree crown to accommodate foot traffic, plant a shade garden or create better sightlines. A tree's crown is the collection of green branches that make up most of the tree. The rest of the tree comprises small or short branches or just the trunk with no branches growing. Crown raising is trimming the tree's bottom branches so that the crown begins higher off the ground. Most trees need the crown to make up roughly sixty percent of the tree to remain healthy. The Pitfalls of Tree Trimming Anyone who has tried cutting their hair will understand why trimming is more challenging than it looks. It takes skill to shape something symmetrically. First, you think you have it right, then take a step back and realize you don't. If you try to make up for it, soon it's lopsided in the other direction. You can go back and forth forever before getting it right! With a bad haircut, you at least know it will eventually grow back out. On the other hand, if you trim your trees poorly, they may not survive. Too short, and you kill the trees and do not cut enough, you don't get the health benefits. So, timing matters, and so do the angle and precision of your cut.

Call the Pros at Divine for a Heavenly Trim

Some things you can learn as you go. If you make a mistake, you can do better next time. With trimming trees, you should call the pros. We care about your trees, have the knowledge to cut them right, and will treat them like our own! Call us, for trees aren't just neat but Divine!