Cambridge Tree Care: What Does Pruning Do For a Tree?

Pruning services in Cambridge help to ensure your trees and shrubs remain healthy and well-kept. While many assume that pruning is only an aesthetic practice, it is critical to the plant’s health and longevity.

Pruning is the practice of maintaining, trimming and altering the growth pattern of trees and shrubs. An experienced arborist knows how to cut a tree and when to eliminate it.

Many people have strong connections to trees in their yards and believe that taking away any branch is dangerous when the opposite is true. Failing to remove unnecessary branches and limbs weakens the tree and puts it more at risk of disease or injury. Pruning a tree is a healthy part of tree maintenance and should occur once per year, in late winter, for most trees. Arborists explain there are three primary reasons for pruning trees.

1. Prevents Disease

Diseases can affect either the whole or a tree or parts of it. Pruning can help control the spread of disease by removing affected limbs. Disease, fungus, and certain types of decay can spread to healthier branches.

Removing damaged or infected limbs can also increase the amount of sunlight healthier branches receive; it also improves air circulation. Improved sun exposure and air circulation usually reduce the likelihood of disease.

While it is hard to consider, an unhealthy tree is a risk to other trees in your yard, and sometimes there are benefits to cutting down trees. Removing sick trees helps ensure the health of other trees on the property.

2. Eliminates Dead Branch Risks to the Healthy Tree

According to tree pruning services near me, dead branches present a significant risk to healthy trees. By leaving dead or dying branches on a tree, the rest of the tree must compensate. Attached dead branches take up resources and space, affecting the health of the other branches and the entire tree.

It is not uncommon to see drooping and sickly-looking tree branches when dead limbs remain connected to the trunk. Pruning the branches away can improve the efficiency of nutrient delivery and strengthen the root system, encouraging new growth.

3. Reduce Overgrowth and Dead Branch Risks

Besides the risk to tree health, dead branches and overgrowth present a significant threat to homeowner safety. Dead branches can become brittle and snap away from the tree at any moment. During storms, the branches can turn into projectiles or falling limbs.

If your tree gets entangled with power lines, the risks increase. Dry, dead branches can catch fire easily or break free and pull live wires to the ground.

Pruning is a necessary maintenance task that does not hurt your trees. The process helps ensure optimum tree health and homeowner safety.

Pruning is not just about aesthetics. A tree needs a little TLC to remain healthy and strong for generations to come. Ignoring tree maintenance leaves your property susceptible to safety risks and hinders the growth and development of your beautiful trees.

Beyond health and safety, you also have to consider aesthetics. Curb appeal is paramount to home value. An unhealthy or overgrown tree distracts attention from your house. Regardless of other additions to your property that increase value, a sick or dying tree will become an eyesore and a significant concern for prospective buyers.

Tree pruning is not a DIY project; inexperience can risk the tree’s health. A professional arborist knows how to treat your trees, and they have the right tools to ensure tree safety.

When was the last time you pruned your trees? Are your trees looking a little rough? Contact Martin’s Tree Service and schedule a property inspection. The company will send their trend technician to assess your trees and provide pruning and maintenance solutions.