You might have often heard the advice about not removing live tree limbs. If you are searching for the reason, this blog offers it. But, before getting to the answer, let’s first understand why it is necessary to trim trees.
We will also talk about the mistakes you should avoid while trimming trees. Finally, we will tell you why you should never remove live tree limbs. So, let us begin.
Tree Trimming and its Importance
There are different reasons for pruning tree limbs and branches. Tree pruning offers trees that look and perform better. If you wonder whether trees can grow without pruning, the answer is yes. But tree pruning is still essential as it helps the trees to reach their full potential.
To offer your trees a long and healthy life, you should remove dead, diseased, and decaying branches. You should also remove branch stubs and those branches growing together. Cutting down the tree canopy allows light and air to filter through the tree- leading to increased foliage and decreasing risks.
Similarly, by cutting down water sprouts and succulents near the ground, you can maintain healthy tree growth that withstands storms.
Pruning and trimming can also encourage flowering and fruiting- leading to better tree growth.
Further, you can create a safe environment for your friends and family by trimming the dead branches and weak limbs on time. But, after reading all these, if you feel you can handle this job by yourself, think again.
Tree trimming and pruning are delicate operations. Doing it incorrectly can even kill your trees. Therefore, it is essential to have companies dealing with tree removal do the job. You can do more harm by doing this job yourself and accidentally cutting live tree limbs.
Reasons to Avoid Cutting Live Tree Limbs
This brings us to the central question that we set out to tackle at the beginning of this blog. You should never cut off live tree branches for the following reasons-
1. Protecting individuals and property
The healthy lower branches can prevent the falling old branches from hitting your property or any other individual. In other words, the healthy lower limbs act as a cushion. Without them, the falling off dilapidated branches can directly hit your property, house, or any other individual walking beneath- causing grave damage in the process.
2. Impact on tree health
Cutting off lower healthy branches blows off the risk cover from your property and can hurt the safety and health of your trees. You should understand the risk of removing tree limbs by considering the species, age, or areas of tree damage.
Answering questions like how much to cut and from which point is vital before taking up the job. Thus, calling professionals is better and safer if you lack confidence, expertise, or both.
3. Season and Weather
A critical parameter while considering limb cutting is the season. The tree’s inability to isolate the physical stress is behind this issue. Thus, you should wait for the winter or autumn to start removing tree limbs.
4. When to Trim or Prune?
We have understood the benefits of tree trimming from the discussion so far. We also looked at the reasons behind avoiding cutting down younger branches and summer months for tree cutting. Thus, the question arises when we should trim or prune tree branches?
The expert view says that pruning or trimming for a mature tree should remove four Ds. These are-
- Dead:– To know whether a branch is dead or alive, scratch it. If you can see green underneath, it is living.
- Damaged:- Remove tree limbs damaged by storms or other accidents and hang them precariously.
- Diseased:- Cut down infected limbs to save the whole tree.
- Deranged:– Cut down branches growing towards the center, that are out of place, or rubbing against each other.
Final Words
From the above paragraphs, we can infer that regular tree trimming and pruning are vital for its health. Along with improving garden aesthetics, the action keeps your garden safe. But, while cutting, it is essential not to harm live tree limbs.
However, without expert eyes, it can be challenging to identify branches that you should cut and those you shouldn’t. Therefore, you should hire professionals from a reputed tree service company to execute the job.
Want to know more? Have a consultation with experts from Panorama Tree Care now! Feel free to contact us for any tree service needs.
