Tree trimming is an important part of regular tree care. Some people have the notion that tree trimming is all about taking a pair of shears and giving the tree your desired look. You should know that it’s more than this. You can do the work by yourself or hire tree services providers to help you out.

Ways of trimming trees

When you are trimming the trees you should know that there are many ways in which you can trim the trees. The most common ones being:

Fine trimming: This is where you remove the small limbs to improve the appearance of the tree

Standard trimming: Here you undertake more heavy cutting to enhance the branch structure of the tree

Hazard trimming: Hazard trimming is recommended for trees that pose danger to your property and family. The process involves the removal of branches that are two inches or more in diameter.

Crown reduction trimming: This involves the removal of major tree branches. You should undertake it when the tree is damaged by a storm, the bark has died substantially, or the branches have interfered with the power lines.

When undertaking this type of trimming, you should remove more than third of the tree’s crown.

Are there benefits of trimming the tree?

You bet there are benefits of doing it, otherwise, people would not be doing it, would they? The benefits include:

Health improvement: Proper trimming improves the health of the trees by eliminating branches that are dead or dying. The branches are usually dangerous; therefore, when you remove them, you reduce the risk of harming your family or damaging your property. Removing the branches will also prevent further decay of the tree.

Improve in overall structure and appearance of the tree: When you trim the tree you prevent limbs from growing with weak crotches or crossing each other and competing for space in the crown.

Improves sun exposure and air circulation: When you get rid of extra branches, you increase sun exposure and air circulation throughout the tree and underlying landscape. As a result, you improve the tree’s health.

Improve the size and quantity of fruits: Do you have fruit trees in your property? When you trim them, you improve the size and quantity of the fruits. For ideal results, you should trim the trees in late winter.

Are there dangers that come with improper tree trimming?

While tree trimming comes with plenty of benefits, it can have counterproductive effects when you do it improperly. Some of the dangers that might come with improper trimming include:

Marred beauty: When you don’t make the right cuts you are bound to interfere with the look of the tree. Some of the mistakes you can make include: topping, tipping, and cutting a disproportionate number of branches from one area of the tree.

When you do any of this, you make the tree look awkward. The situation is worse when the tree takes a long time to outgrow the effects of a bad trim.

When you are trimming oak trees, remember to collect the acorns that might drop during the process.

Diseased branches: When you are trimming the tree, you are essentially making a cut into the wood. This means you are injuring the tree. Open wounds allow pests and organisms inside the tree causing infections.

In some cases, infections or infestations can cause adverse effects on tree leading to the eventual death of the affected tree.

Property damage: When you are cutting large branches, the branches can easily drop on your property causing significant damage.

Personal damage: You are not only at the risk of damaging your property when you trim your trees improperly, you are also in great danger of hurting yourself when doing it. The falling branches can easily fall on you causing injury. You can also hurt yourself when using the trimming tools.

What is the difference between tree trimming and pruning?

While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they have distinct applications and functions. According to tree removal services MD providers, tree pruning is associated with trees and shrubs. When you undertake to prune these trees and shrubs, you are bound to improve the life of the dead, infected, and broken branches.

You undertake tree trimming on shrubs and hedges. Usually mainly for design purposes. Tree trimming has also been shown to alleviate excessively dense bushes which block essential sunlight and moisture from reaching the landscape.