When Shouldn’t You Prune or Remove Trees Yourself? - aLittleBitOfAll
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When Shouldn’t You Prune or Remove Trees Yourself?

professional tree arborist

When Shouldn’t You Prune or Remove Trees Yourself?

Taking care of the trees in your backyard is a wonderful hobby, but trees require far more than just simple watering and pruning of their lower branches. Sometimes large trees can get sick and pose a hazard to the surrounding environment, even your home. This is when hiring the help of a professional tree removal company is a smart idea. Doing it yourself may even escalate the problem, so don’t even think about it. Here’s what you need to know about potentially dangerous trees.

How to Spot a Dangerous Tree

how to identify a dangerous tree
source: fivestartreecare.ca

A dangerous tree is easy to spot. There are various indicators like dead branches that might easily fall during storms or rainy weather. These dead branches have brown withered leaves or no leaves at all. When the dead branches are big, it might be a challenge to remove them on your own. A dangerous and damaged tree has seasonal cracks in the surface of its trunks (which isn’t always a problem); however, the tree’s trunk is an indicator of its health. Check for potential cracks, cavities or deeper splits. These can have soil, damages or rot on the trunk. 

Before you opt for large tree removal, check if the tree has an unusual shape or stunted growth. The leaves will also show you if the tree is damaged (dying, thin, discoloured leaves). And although not all damaged trees are dangerous, some can be a real hazard to the surrounding environment. If the tree is near a house, parking lot, or a power line, it could cause a serious problem in case a branch falls. This is why it should be pruned or removed as soon as possible.

Power Line Danger

Power Line Danger tree
source: greenvistava.com

Not all trees that grow around public utilities have the same power line clearance requirements. There are various voltage, transmission and distribution lines that have various line clearance regulations to prevent blackouts. High voltage transmission lines run on steel towers or big wooden structures. There are multiple lines on these towers and their job is to transfer the electricity from the power plant to the substations for pick up (this is the reason why they have high voltage). So, when a tree and other vegetation constantly grows near a power line, it should be trimmed the minimum clearance.

What’s Pruning

pruning
source: gardeningknowhow.com

Pruning is trimming and should be done regularly so you can keep your trees healthy. Pruning can affect the way the tree grows and proper pruning can give the tree its structural integrity. Maintaining the tree’s structure will decrease the risk of broken limbs and falling branches. A properly pruned tree won’t have branches that grow all over the place which leads to balanced weight distribution. Structural pruning is essential for the general look of the tree and its overall health.

Pruning is done in late fall or winter when the tree is in the dormant season and is least susceptible to harm. Trees are sensitive to stress like any other living creature, so cutting their branches can harm them if it is done during spring or summer. When the tree is dormant, less sap is lost so insects and fungus are less likely to damage it.

How to Remove a Tree?

tree removal
source: pcrtreeservice.com

Now the question that you need the answer to. How to remove a dangerous tree? Some trees that grow near a house, parking lot, kid’s playground, power line or over a street with high traffic may be a danger for people’s lives, especially if they are damaged. If the tree is in your backyard, you might consider pruning it or removing it yourself, but the truth is it’s best to hire professionals, especially for large tree removal. This way you can be sure that they will handle the work well.

Hire Professionals

professional tree arborists
source: protreesvcs.com

Even if you have cut or pruned a tree before, it’s not a smart idea to do it yourself. Even if the tree appears damaged or ill, you might cause bigger damage by cutting healthy branches, or by cutting a healthy tree off. Another thing to think of is the risk of injuring yourself or damaging your or public property. This is why seeking help from professionals for tree removal is best for you. 

Keep in mind that trying to do this by yourself, may be a very expensive choice. If the tree falls onto your neighbour’s property and damages their car or house, you’ll be responsible for this. Chances are you probably don’t have the right tools and machinery, so why bother? The professional tree removal company will know exactly what to do to take care of the problem safely and efficiently.

Ian Tompson
iantompsonlee5@gmail.com