We talk a lot about tree pruning, but why is it really necessary? Tree trimming has tons of benefits for your trees, your home, and you. Spring is the best time to prune many trees and shrubs!
There are so many ways tree pruning can keep your trees healthy, looking good, and safe. Tree trimming and pruning after the winter months are over and the dormant season is done is a key part of proper tree care.
It’s a great time of year to get your pruning done — check out our top reasons to prune your tree this spring.
1. Save money with a spring prune
You might be worried about tree trimming costs, but the cost of pruning can save you money in the long run. Routine pruning is much cheaper than tree removal, or repairing damage from a tree that breaks.
The most expensive times to trim or remove a tree are during summer and after a storm. Summer is very busy for arborists and there is more demand for service than there are qualified professionals. This leads to longer waiting times and higher prices.
After storms, emergency tree service is at a premium. It can take weeks or months for tree companies to get back to their regularly scheduled work.
The three biggest factors impacting the cost of tree pruning or removal are: the quicker you need service, the more dangerous the work and the bigger the job. Waiting until your tree problem is serious can cost hundreds or thousands more in the long run.
2. 2024 storm season is coming
It feels like winter has barely passed, especially with the late snow we had in Toronto this year. Unfortunately, there have been more spring and summer storms in the Toronto area over the last few years. In 2022, the derecho downed thousands of trees. In 2021 and 2020, wind and rain flooded the DVP and caused numerous power outages. Now we are facing a very hot year with El Nino and global weather patterns bringing significantly more variable and hot weather due to ocean currents.
What will 2024 bring?
Regular tree trimming by a certified arborist means that someone is checking for damaged or weakened branches. During the pruning process, your arborist will check branches for breaks or damage, and may find issues that are harder to spot or too high up for you to see. This means weaker branches are removed before they can break or fall down in a storm, keeping your home safer during storms.
3. Keep your yard and cars clean
Trees and hedges can create an awful mess on their own with leaves, cones and needles. Pests make this problem even worse. It could be aphids spitting on your car, scale on your magnolia or wasps and ants attracted to the honeydew.
An arborist will check branches for signs of damage from insects and other pests. If an infestation is limited to a couple of areas, these branches can be removed. This keeps pests from spreading to the rest of the tree and other trees in your yard.
Any insect problems discovered during pruning can also be followed up with appropriate pest treatment, helping limit the spread of pests.
4. Remove squirrel and raccoon roadways
If you’re like most Toronto residents, you have a few of these furry friends living in your yard. Long or overgrown tree branches can create an easy path onto your house or garage, encouraging wildlife to hang out up there. Trimming back long branches near rooftops can help you limit pathways for squirrels or raccoons on your roof, helping you keep animals off the house.
5. Stay safe from falling branches
Do you often find small broken branches all over your yard? Tree pruning for dead, dying and crossing branches will remove hazards above your property and keep you safe. Dead branches are natural on a tree, but they can pose a significant hazard to anyone underneath when they fall.
Branches that look small up in a tree can still cause significant damage to people, property or vehicles underneath. If you enjoy your outdoor space or spending time in the backyard, ensure it’s safe all year round.
6. Make your property pristine
After a long, dreary winter, spring brings a breath of fresh air. Pruning your trees, shrubs and hedges before the heat of summer sets in starts the new season off the right way. Trimming during spring is an ideal time for many trees and hedges, and freshens up the look of your home and garden. Ornamental trees and shrubs thrive with a fresh cut.
Spring tree trimming and hedge pruning is a great time to prepare your trees and property for the warm summer growing season.
7. Clear the junk out
Over time, trees can collect some undesirable stuff. Dead branches and twigs, suckers, water sprouts and other excess growth can take up a lot of space in a tree. Treat your tree to a spring cleaning to help it thrive throughout the year. The more space taken up by dead wood and overgrowth, the less space there is for new, healthy growth.
Fruit trees and flowering trees are particularly prone to generating a lot of small, dead growth.Pruning can remove anything that’s no longer needed for a tree’s health, letting healthy growth come in.
8. Get more sunlight
Have you got a flower or vegetable garden? Are grass, flowers, or a vegetables growing poorly below the shade of a big tree? Sunlight can make or break the success of many plants. If your tree is overgrown or shading your other plants, pruning it before summer can help.
Pruning your tree can reduce the volume in the tree’s crown and let more light through to the ground. This will let more light in to the ground, helping things grow below. Ensuring enough warmth and sunlight through proper pruning can give you the garden of your dreams.
Keep in mind this type of pruning needs to be a regular job every year or two! Branches and leaves will grow back over time, so you’ll need to keep on top of pruning if you’re trying to let light in to a flower or veggie garden below a large tree.
9. Keep branches off your house
Branches that scrape against your roof, eavestroughs, garage, or siding can cause damage over time. Branches or hedges that rest on your shingles can trap moisture, leading to mould or mildew on your roof. It also puts your property at greater risk of damage during wind, ice or thunderstorms. Tree cutting will remove any branches that are dangling or scraping on the house, keeping your home protected.
Replacing a roof is very costly in comparison to tree pruning. Tree trimming can help limit damage to your roof from branches.
10. Your trees will love you for it
Taking care of the environment begins at home. When you have your trees and shrubs properly maintained, you get to enjoy a little slice of nature in a big city. Tree maintenance can give you peace of mind about the risks your tree poses, letting you relax and focus on what matters.
Young trees need structural pruning to grow into an appropriate form in the city and prevent future problems. Mature trees can benefit from preventative maintenance and tree pruning by certified arborists.
Do any of these reasons for tree pruning apply to your property? Learn more about us.
This blog post from Vista Tree offers a great overview of the many reasons why tree pruning is important! It highlights the various benefits, from promoting healthy growth to improving safety and property value. The point about disease prevention by removing infected parts is particularly valuable, as it helps homeowners understand how pruning can protect their trees in the long run.
Following the section on increased sunlight penetration, I’m curious to know – for homeowners with concerns about privacy or wanting to create a shady area in their yard, are there specific pruning techniques that can be used to achieve these goals while still maintaining healthy tree growth?