Tree Damage is Preventable
Did you know tree damage is often preventable? As a trusted tree service in Largo FL and Pinellas County, we are focused
Trees that are properly pruned and cared for throughout their lives are much healthier, stronger, and less likely to fail or cause expensive damage as they mature.
Hiring a Professional Tree Service in Largo FL
We’ve all seen it. Drive around after a tropical storm and you’ll see trees toppled and fallen branches. We shake our heads as we pass broken fences, demolished pool screens, and damaged roofs. Often accompanied by dazed-looking people wondering whether insurance will cover the cost of damages and whether they should try to handle the fallen wood themselves. We always recommend calling in a professional tree company when dealing with hazardous situations like these.
Fallen trees are considered the most dangerous trees to remove. All it takes is one wrong cut to potentially harm yourself or others around you. When we remove a stable, upright tree, we are in control of how the tree comes down. When we remove a tree that has failed, the tree has the upper hand. After a tree has fell they are usually propped up on other lateral stems leaving the bulk of the weight still in the air above and the danger level extremely high. At any time the weight bearing lateral stems can fail leaving anything or anyone in its way at great risk for injury or death. We always recommend craning out trees that have fallen. It provides a safer environment for you and our crew working the ground.
Tree Service in Pinellas County
Call Trimworks Tree Service of Largo Florida, for a Clearwater arborist consultation and estimate. Our estimates are always FREE.
While it’s always a good idea to leave tree removal and mature tree care to trained professionals with many years of experience, basic tree pruning of young trees is something that anyone can do. Here are five things you can do to safely prune, or “train,” your own trees from a young age to prevent expensive maintenance fees or damages in the years to come.
Take a good look at the tree first. Inspect the tree thoroughly from top to bottom. Identify the best leader to be the trunk for the tree. It’s often a good idea to tie a ribbon around defective branches you plan to prune before beginning, and then standing back again to assess your choices. Balance is vital to the health and safety of the tree, so any time spent planning and carefully inspecting the job from all angles is time well spent. Schedule an appointment with our ISA Certified Clearwater Arborist team to fully understand the requirements associated with pruning.
Use the right tools. As with any job, it’s important to have the right tools to help you be successful. To trim side branches from a young tree, one-hand pruning shears with curved blades work best. Get a pole pruner for high branches. Always be sure to use sharp tools. Not only do they work better, but they minimize the risk of injury to you or the tree.
Don’t use climbing spikes to help you get to hard-to-reach branches, as these can cause irreversible damage to the tree. For the health of the tree and your own safety, leave major pruning of mature trees to professional arborists.
Trimworks has the right tools and safety training to ensure that your trees are cared for with the highest level of professionalism. Our ISA certified arborists recommended care practices help to preserve your tree’s health, and avoid future removal.
Cut when it’s cold. For most trees, the best time to prune is during winter, ideally after the coldest part of winter has passed but well before spring. Some sap trees may “bleed” sap when they’re pruned, but this is not harmful at all to the tree and will stop when leaves begin to form in the spring.
Remove the right branches. In some ways, tree trimming is like a game of Jenga: one wrong move can change or even end the game altogether. Many do not realize that deciding on what to remove is the key to your trees current and future success. Here are a few rules of thumb from the Arbor Day Foundation:
Main side branches should be at least ⅓ smaller than the diameter of the trunk.
Try to encourage side branches that form angles that are ⅓ off vertical wherever possible. In other words, don’t cut branches that form either “10 o’clock” or “2 o’clock” angles with the trunk or lead branch.
Remove dead and defective branches before pruning for aesthetic form. Side branches that grow out to rub against another branch are defective and should be removed. “Watersprouts” and “suckers,” weakly attached branches that grow rapidly and straight up rather than at an angle, should be removed as soon as they are recognized.
When pruning diseased trees, dipping your shears in rubbing alcohol before moving to the next tree will prevent the spread of disease. Also use rubbing alcohol to rinse tools, and wipe dry before storing.
Don’t Overdo Never remove more than ¼ of a tree’s crown in a single growing season. Remove damaged branches and ensure balance, then prune more the following year if necessary. Don’t prune up from the bottom more than ⅓ of the tree’s total height. If you’re just shortening a small branch, cut at a slight angle about ¼ inch beyond a lateral bud or branch.
Free Consultations for Tree Trimming in Largo and Surrounding Areas
Tree trimming isn’t as simple as it may seem, but it can be very rewarding if managed correctly. Don’t wait until the next storm knocks your favorite shade tree down to get help. Let our certified Clearwater arborist team answer your questions, and put our years of experience to work for you. We are happy to visit anywhere in Pinellas County and surrounding areas to look at your trees and provide a FREE consultation. We’re excited to support you in keeping your trees healthy and safe for many years to come.
Call Trimworks Tree Service today to schedule a free estimate and consultation with our ISA Certified Arborist. Call us at 727-289-1633
We service the following communities: Tree Pruning Pinellas County, Tree Pruning Largo, Tree Pruning Clearwater, Tree Pruning St. Petersburg, Tree Pruning Seminole, Tree Pruning Safety Harbor, Tree Pruning Palm Harbor, Tree Pruning Pinellas Park and Tree Pruning Belleair.