Turn your trees into treasures
Simple Guide to Tree Pruning
in Toronto
Considering tree trimming?
Does your tree need pruning or branches removed? Are you concerned about the health or safety of your tree – or is there a branch near your roof or car? Vista Tree has tree pruning services that can help.
It’s difficult to achieve the right look and feel on your property without taking care of your trees. Tree pruning can enhance the aesthetic and health of trees in your yard, create more sunlight or maintain privacy from neighbours.
With our expert tree pruning services, we offer more than just aesthetic enhancements – we provide a shield against potential damage to your property.
Affordable Excellence
At Vista Tree, we’re committed to providing exceptional value to our clients.
Whether you’re a homeowner or a business owner, our tree services are tailored to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.
We provide options for tree care customized to your budget and discerning tastes.
Manage overgrowing or Damaged Trees with Tree Pruning
Take Control of Your Trees
When your trees have grown too big or are looking wild and unkempt, it’s time to take back control of your yard.
Trees of all sizes can be made smaller through careful and selective tree pruning, like Crown Reduction. Our Certified Arborists can advise you on the best, scientifically-backed way to get your trees back down to a manageable size and prevent damage from overgrowth or storms.
Get More from your home and outdoor space
Re-decorate the Biggest Room in Your Home
For most homeowners, the biggest room in the house is the backyard or side yard. A yard can be an oasis and sanctuary – from the city, from the heat… even from your neighbours! Green spaces also influence the value of your home and its curb appeal.
Trees don’t just damage fences – sometimes they can mend them
Manage Neighbours Better
If good fences make good neighbours, what do shared trees make?
If you’re dealing with neighbour trees or shared trees, you want to manage them right from the start no matter the quality of your relationship.
We’ve found the right approach to tree pruning for neighbour or shared trees is to engage both sides from the start, and keep communication lines open. Sometimes this means we are go-betweens for difficult relationships, other times we work with both sides together to achieve their goals.
Tree Pruning Knowledge Centre
Tree Pruning Services in Toronto FAQ
Common Tree Pruning Questions
Below you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions we receive about tree pruning services in Toronto.
Why do trees get pruned?
- More sunlight for a pool, garden or lawn
- Improving curb value or real estate value before a home sale
- Getting branches off the roof or stopping animals from using trees as a “highway”
- Pushing back branches from a car or other property
- Worrying about the safety of a dead branch
- Concerns about the health of a tree
- Wanting the tree to stay the same size or to prune the tree smaller
- Improving or changing the shape of a tree
- To induce or reduce flowering or fruiting
- Anxiety over rot in a tree or broken branches
- Lots of dead branches or falling branches
- Storm Damage to tree limbs
- Keeping feature trees and prized ornamentals healthy
Do I need a permit to prune or trim a tree in Toronto?
No, so long as you are not injuring the tree. Tree injury relates to the use and application of best arboricultural practices. Cutting a tree in half, cutting off most of its foliage, topping the tree and other practices would fall under the category of injury which is against the private tree bylaw in Toronto.
Who is responsible for tree pruning overhanging branches in Toronto?
The property owner with the overhanging branches is responsible for their maintenance. However, if they encroach onto a neighboring property, the neighbor may also have rights to prune them back within their boundary lines.
In general, homeowners are responsible for maintaining trees on their properties. For city-owned trees located on public land or road allowances, the City of Toronto takes care of trimming through its Urban Forestry department.
How much does it cost to trim a tree in Toronto?
The cost of pruning a tree varies based on factors such as size, species complexity, accessibility challenges and amount being removed. We have an entire breakdown of the cost of tree trimming available that walks through the details.
Why should I hire a Certified Arborist to prune my tree?
Certified arborists have the knowledge and experience to ensure quality workmanship and protect you from potential liabilities through extensive insurance coverage for their work and employees. While handymen and landscapers may be capable of removing branches, sometimes the cure is worse than the disease: cutting branches and limb off incorrectly can cause significant injury and damage to a tree.
The other thing that Certified Arborists bring is an expert perspective with a longer, more comprehensive view. Cutting off a few nuisance branches may seem simple enough, and sometimes it can be. Other times it won’t actually achieve what you want, like added sunlight for your garden or to get a tree away from your car.
Small, low branches are rarely the cause of the worst tree problems, instead it is the branches much higher up that are shading your backyard or rubbing against the roof. Since we see these issues constantly, the perspective of a Certified Arborist can inform your decision and help you get the most out of your tree pruning.
The Right Tree Pruning Methods
Using the right pruning methods is crucial for maintaining healthy trees on your property. Improper techniques can lead to irreversible damage, such as stunted growth or decay. Certified arborists have extensive knowledge about various types of trees along with their specific requirements ensuring optimal results when it comes to tree maintenance.
Unskilled workers may lack knowledge about proper pruning techniques, which are crucial for maintaining the structural integrity and overall health of trees. Improper cuts can leave trees vulnerable to disease, insect infestations and decline.
What can go wrong with cheap, unskilled labour
Other example of bad pruning practice include: leaving stubs, pruning more than 10-15% of a mature tree, cutting too close to the tree (a flush cut), cutting off all the leaves but leaving pieces of wood in the tree and so forth. Fly by night workers with a chainsaw, landscapers, DIY homeowners and other untrained people are the usual culprits.
Their price is low, but the cost can be very high as the City will issue an Order to Comply when they discover trees that have been harmed by poor practices. Compliance Orders force homeowners to have the tree pruned and mulched, or removed and may also carry a large fine for violating the bylaw.
What are the benefits of tree trimming services?
- Promotes healthy growth: Regular pruning removes dead or diseased branches, allowing more sunlight and air circulation for healthier foliage.
- Increase property value: Well-maintained trees can enhance curb appeal and increase the value of your home.
- Safety: Removing hazardous branches reduces the risk of accidents caused by falling limbs or debris during storms.
- Disease prevention: Timely removal of infected parts prevents diseases from spreading to other areas within a tree or neighboring plants.
What are some types of tree pruning services?
- Aesthetic trimming: Making your tree look more beautiful or appealing, like a feature tree for landscaping.
- Functional pruning: Getting branches removed to improve access to your yard, reduce animal traffic or increase sunlight onto your grass or gardens.
- Structural Pruning: Correct growth habit, alter the shape or improve sun and wind penetration for tree vitality.
- Deadwood Pruning: Taking out dead branches to make the tree healthier and safer.
- Maintenance pruning: Removing live branches that have grown too big, spread too wide or have structural issues like rot and decay.
- Hazard reduction: Removing branches or limbs that pose a safety hazard to people or property.
- Crown cleaning: Removing dead, dying, and diseased branches from the crown area of a tree.
- Clearance Pruning: Cutting off branches that are growing to close, onto or over a structure or area like a roof, pool or deck
- Crown thinning: Selectively removing branches to increase light penetration and air movement through the crown.
- Raising / Elevation Pruning: Removing lower branches to provide clearance for pedestrians or vehicles below.
- Crown reduction: Reducing the size or height of a tree by selectively cutting back its limbs and foliage. at the tips throughout the whole outer canopy
Why is tree trimming important for homeowners in Toronto?
Trees only began growing in urban environments during industrialization some two hundred years ago. Since they spent millions of years growing in natural environments, the changes that cities have brought are relatively recent. As a result, many trees suffer in urban environments. Since trees that are poorly maintained become a hazard and an eyesore, this can impact safety, property values and your enjoyment of your home.
What are the benefits of trees to people?
Psychological benefits of Trees
Looking out at trees also lowers your cortisol and stress levels, improves well being and lightens moods. You don’t need a hike in a forest to achieve this, even looking or sitting under your own backyard trees can improve your mental health and sense of wellbeing.
Physical Benefits of Trees
Trees can also help you to reduce heat around your property, lowering heating bills in the summer or providing a shaded place to rest on a hot day. On top of that, getting a good dose of nature in your own backyard can lower your blood pressure and contribute to overall physical wellness due to the psychological impacts discussed above.
Does tree pruning hurt trees?
Trees that are pruned according to best arboricultural practices are not being harmed. In forest environments, trees compete with one another and will shed limbs or be overtaken by other larger trees. In the city, this competition for resources is lesser, which means overgrowth can occur, as well as dead branches, storm breaks and other issues. Pruning trees to contain their size, spread and spread as well as eliminating hazards keeps them healthy and safe for longer. When trees are not maintained, they can become very costly to fix or remove in future.
