Tree Care Maintenance – Why it’s Important

Tree trimming

Proper tree pruning is crucial for the health of your tree, the safety/health of the surroundings, and for your property’s aesthetic. When a tree is properly pruned, the dead wood is removed, and the canopy is shaped/thinned. Doing so reduces the risk of limbs falling from the tree and damaging houses, cars, landscaping, etc. It’s also necessary for the tree’s health, as it promotes nutrients to go to healthy limbs and reduces the risk of disease.

Shaping/thinning out the canopy promotes healthy tree growth, allows more sunlight to reach the bottom branches, and even the landscape beneath. Airflow is then increased throughout the tree, which, in turn, reduces moisture and fungal growth. Proper tree pruning may also increase the value of a home because it increases the aesthetic feel of a property.

Tree removal

Although trees are crucial to our environment, tree removal may be necessary for safety and property protection. Trees that are dead, damaged, diseased, or too big for the area pose a safety risk to homes, the landscape, and even to people.

Unhealthy trees are weak and unpredictable and can fall unexpectedly, causing costly damage to their surroundings. If a tree is diseased and past the point of treatment, removing it can help slow the spread of the disease to surrounding trees.

We’ve recently seen how quickly disease can spread, as the Dutch elm and ash borer diseases have killed thousands of trees in Wisconsin. If a large tree has overgrown its space and isn’t removed, it can pose a risk if it’s near or over a house or other structure. Limbs overhanging a house could not only fall and damage the structure, but also cause fungal growth on your roof.

Large trees have extensive root systems that can lift sidewalks and driveways, push on house foundations, and break underground pipes such as sewer laterals and water lines. Removing large overgrown trees can save a lot of money in future foundation and other property repairs. By nature, trees are unpredictable, so it’s very important to have them assessed regularly for splits, rot, dead wood, and disease.

Interesting fact

Oak trees should be trimmed only during their dormancy period to prevent the development of diseases such as oak wilt. When trimmed during their dormancy period, the risk of disease decreases greatly. Oak pruning season in Wisconsin typically runs from November through March, but may change due to warm weather. The temperature should consistently be below 40°F. The colder the better!