While tree trimming sounds easy enough, I worry there are certain things I need to know before I tackle such a project, or would it be better to let a professional handle it?
"I think most homeowners can handle ornamental trimming but for large trees and hardwoods, because of the risk involved and the skilled level it takes to do the job, I would leave that to the professionals," says Doug Cantrell with The Tree Marshall tree service in Little Rock.
"Bradford pears, crepe myrtles, Japanese maples, and those kinds of trees homeowners can attempt to trim themselves," Cantrell says. "Even if they don't know the proper place to cut limbs on a tree, these trees are not big enough that they have to worry about a limb falling on them and they can use small noncommercial equipment that home improvement stores sell," he says.
Cantrell adds that homeowners need to take care when trimming a tree that they do so in the proper spots.
"I know with Google and the internet, they can get how-to illustrations but if they don't know where or how to make those proper cuts, they can damage the tree worse than what they're trying to accomplish by trimming it," he says. When a tree is damaged mechanically it becomes stressed, which invites insects and disease into the vascular system of the tree.
"So I would be very cautious," Cantrell says. And a homeowner should never attempt to do any trimming or cutting when standing on anything but solid ground.
"We see this all the time where a homeowner gets on a ladder to try to take a limb off and that limb falls, takes that ladder out from underneath them, and causes serious personal injury or sometimes even death."
"When it comes to large trees and large hardwoods, especially around structures, power lines, and anything they don't want damaged, I would absolutely leave that to the professionals," Cantrell says.
Homeowners also need to be very careful not only in how they cut a tree but also where they cut it, says Charles Shaw with David's Tree Service in Little Rock.
"When you trim a tree, you have to be sure to trim all limbs back to a lateral limb, if not the tree will stop growing," he says, explaining that a lateral limb is one that is growing straight up from the branch.
"If you just go out there and cut it without a limb at the very end of that cut, that tree will quit feeding that entire limb and it will rot," Shaw says. "And when you trim a tree, you need to trim it up against the trunk at the collar of the tree. If you cut it past the collar, that wood will rot ...." He says the collar is a ringed circle, generally 1 to 3 inches away from the trunk.
Why trim trees?
• Unsafe conditions -- When violent weather has broken branches and dead wood becomes displaced. Other dangerous situations include tree branches encroaching on utility lines, growing too close to the driveway or street, or obstructing a driver's vision.
• Health of the tree -- A section of a tree may become diseased and begin dying. In those instances, the affected branches will need to be removed to save the tree. Also, a tree with crowded branches will need to be thinned out and trimmed back regularly.
• Aesthetics -- A properly trimmed tree maintains its natural shape.
When to cut? While an evergreen can be trimmed and pruned any time of the year, a deciduous tree should only be trimmed when it is dormant. The one exception to this rule is when the tree is damaged and poses a hazard.
Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:
lhaymes@arkansasonline.com
HomeStyle on 11/12/2016