Pruning Services
Trees require pruning for health, safety, and visual purposes. This is not only the most common tree service practice, but also the most incorrectly performed. "Lion tailing" is the unsightly practice of stripping out the interior branches of the tree's canopy. Improper cuts can jeopardize the health and beauty of your trees. The size of the pruning wounds are relative to the risk of infectors and time it takes a tree to consume the wound. Time of the year may be critical depending on the size and amount of foliage and tissue removed.
Northern Woods Tree Service prunes according to ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) standards. From the categories listed below, we can custom tailor the pruning needs of each individual tree on your property. The size of the pruning wounds are relative to the risk of infectors and time it takes a tree to consume the wound. Time of the year may be critical for more invasive pruning depending on the size and amount of foliage removed.
Crown Cleaning
Crown Cleaning is the practice of removing dead, diseased, crowded, weakly attached and low-vigor branches from a tree's crown. This type of pruning can be performed year round.
Key Benefits
- First, you will notice that this procedure will provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the tree and add value to your landscape.
- Additionally, the risk of an insect infestation is greatly reduced by the removal of deadwood.
- Most importantly, this practice helps to ensure a healthy canopy by allowing the tree to reroute its resources that were spent in sustaining these branches to more beneficial areas.
Crown Thinning
Crown Thinning starts with Crown Cleaning and then adds the selective removal of branches thus allowing sunlight penetration and the reduction of wind friction within the tree's canopy. This procedure reduces the weight on heavy branches, increases water intake, and helps preserve the tree’s natural shape. Depending on the degree of thinning required, this type of pruning may or may not be performed year round.
Key Benefits
- By allowing more sunlight to reach the ground, wet areas are dried more quickly after rains. Additionally, grass can grow in those bare spots that were previously shaded.
- The risk of storm damaged stems and limbs is greatly reduced by reducing the wind-sail effect of foliar clumps in the tree's canopy.
- The likelihood of storm related damage is further reduced by the reduction of weight on heavy limbs.
Crown Raising is the removal of lower branches from a tree’s canopy to provide the needed clearance for structures, vehicles, pedestrians, or for aesthetic value. This does not always mean that branches need to be removed completely from the trunk of the tree. Often times all that is required is the removal of smaller secondary branches thus preserving the trees branch structure and reducing the wound sizes on the tree. The amount of tissue needing to be removed will determine the appropriate time of year to perform this type of pruning.
Key Benefits
- Crown Raising can provide a clean, balanced look to the tree’s canopy.
- Needed space under the tree’s canopy is gained for desired use.
- This procedure reduces animal access to structure roofs.
Formative Pruning
Formative Pruning is the “training” of young or semi-mature trees for future development and to fit into their new environment. Where there are competing co-dominant stems, one stem is subordinated to maintain structural integrity. Crossover branches are removed. Scaffold branches are established that will be the framework of the tree’s branch structure for the rest of its life. This type of pruning may need to be performed in stages and require several growing seasons to complete, each season only removing a portion of the entire process. The amount of tissue needing to be removed will determine the appropriate time of year to perform this type of pruning. Typically the dormancy months are the best time to perform this type of procedure.
Key Benefits
- Formative Pruning will “train” the young tree for future development.
- Undesirable growth habits will be corrected.
- Scaffold branches, or the framework of the branch structure will be established.
Sanitation Pruning
Sanitation Pruning is typically performed on ornamental trees. Sanitation Pruning is the removal of dead, fungi infected, or diseased branches. This type of pruning can and should be performed any time of year as necessary.
Key Benefits
- Sanitation Pruning maintains the health of the tree.
- The tree’s canopy will be visually clean and healthy.
- This procedure will reduce the spread of disease and fungi.
Hazard Reduction Pruning
Hazard Reduction Pruning is the removal of dead and weak branches. The goal of this type of practice is to reduce the danger posed by visible, defined hazards in the tree. This type of pruning should be performed immediately when needed.
Key Benefits
- Potential targets such as cars, houses, and children's playgrounds that are underneath these hazardous limbs are saved from disaster.
- Proper cuts are made allowing the tree the ability to consume these wounds, thus reducing the risk of sustaining larger wounds at a later date.
- The tree becomes much safer to live with.
Crown Reduction
Crown Reduction, also known as drop-crotch pruning, is used to reduce the height or width of a tree. Limbs are cut back to laterals not less than 1/3 the diameter of the parent branch and are large enough to assume the apical leader role. Examples where this method might be used are; to reduce weight for structural issues that are observed in a tree, or utility line clearance. This type of pruning technique is more invasive and ideally should be performed when trees are in their dormancy. However, this type of pruning should be performed on a case by case timeline since structural issues may weigh heavier on the decision than the amount of foliage removed or wound size. Certain species of trees respond better than others with this method.
Key Benefits
- Crown Reduction maintains the structural integrity of the tree.
- When performed properly, this method will reduce the frequency of future pruning.
- Sometimes this is the only alternative to removing the tree.
Crown Restoration
When a utility line clearing company beats you to the punch on pruning a tree, or unqualified tree service personnel are hired to perform unsightly work, improper cuts are made. These improper cuts may be heading cuts, where the limb is not cut back to a suitable lateral limb, or leave a stub or improper angle making consumption by the tree difficult. Proper cuts, similar to those made in a Crown Reduction, need to be made where appropriate, thus allowing the wounds to be consumed more easily by the tree. Also, in certain species of trees, many weakly attached branches called water sprouts can form from heading cuts. Several of these branches need to be removed leaving only one or two in each location. This lightens the load on the supporting branches and restores the tree's health and proper structure. The amount of tissue needing to be removed will determine the appropriate time of year to perform this type of pruning.
Key Benefits
- Crown Restoration maintains the structural integrity of the tree.
- When performed properly, this method will reduce the frequency of future pruning.
- The tree has a more natural, aesthetically pleasing appearance.
