Tree trimming and pruning is a normal part of shrub and tree maintenance. By regularly maintaining your trees and shrubs, you can preserve their health and beauty—not to mention save yourself money and headaches.  

Reasons why tree maintenance services trim trees

Getting rid of dead, damaged, or unwanted branches has so many benefits for your shrubs. Here are a few reasons why tree maintenance services encourage you to regularly trim your trees.

Promotes tree growth

When you get rid of “dead weight” the tree is left with more energy to focus on growing the healthy parts. Just like after you get a haircut, you’ll find more new, healthy growth quicker than before. 

Prevents safety hazards

If not removed, dead or damaged branches can pose a serious safety hazard to you and your property. These branches are no longer as strong as they once were and a snow or wind storm can easily cause them to break off and fall. 

Prevents spread of disease

Those unsightly dead and decaying branches are that way for a reason, such as an insect infestation or a fungal infection. Whatever the reason is you do not want it spreading to the rest of your beautiful tree. Getting rid of dead and decaying branches can save the rest of your tree from the same fate. 

Promotes fruit production

Growing fruit takes a tremendous amount of energy and sick trees do not have energy to expend on making fruit. If you want your fruit trees to produce, getting rid of the unhealthy branches lets your tree spend its energy on growing, instead of fighting disease. 

How often should I trim my trees?

There are some circumstances where you should call a tree maintenance service for immediate action such as diseased or decaying and broken branches, which can all be hazardous. Aside from these glaring red flags, you still want to regularly maintain your trees and shrubs every few years to help them grow optimally for decades to come. 

A good rule of thumb is to have mature non-fruit bearing deciduous trees trimmed about every three to five years and young trees every two to three years. Fruit-bearing trees require a bit more maintenance where they should be trimmed each year to produce a good harvest. However, coniferous trees may not need any trimming for many years. 

What time of year is best to trim your trees? It is actually best to trim your trees in the winter if you have the opportunity. Winter is the dormant season for trees where they are conserving their energy as much as possible waiting for the warm spring and summer weather to grow leaves, flowers, and fruit. Trimming trees while they are dormant in the winter means less risk of losing leaves and fruit and taking the valuable energy stored in them. 

You might think that a tree maintenance service taking a chainsaw to your tree means bad news. In reality, getting your trees trimmed regularly is one of the best things you can do for them to maintain their health and improve their growth, ultimately saving you from possibly having a very costly tree removal down the road.