Tree pruning in Montana is a landscaping service that beautifies and reinforces trees so they are able to fight off insects, diseases and inclement weather – and look good while doing it!
Pruning has to be completed if you want a healthy tree, but it needs to be done correctly by someone who knows what they’re doing. Like a certified arborist from MT Tree Trimming. Homeowners may be able to prune and trim trees safely while they are still small and growing, but you also may do permanent damage to the tree.
To correctly prune trees, you must know all of the following:
- When is the best time to prune your types of trees
- How much of the tree can be trimmed at at once
- Where to cut the branches so you do not harm the tree
Removing too much off of a tree could kill it or cause structural damage, but precise trimming done each year benefits trees in several ways. Professional pruning improves the appearance of trees, makes them healthier, eliminates dead or diseased limbs and expedites fruit or flower production.
Ideally, pruning needs to be completed every year, but as trees mature, you might be able to go two years between major pruning services. Regardless of how regularly you have your trees pruned, ensure your arborist is qualified to do the type of tree pruning your trees need. This won’t be an issue if you call MT Tree Trimming in Montana!
Types of Tree Pruning Methods
There are 7 different ways to correctly trim a tree so that it grows stronger and healthier year after year.
Depending on the size, type and health concerns of your trees, one pruning method could be more beneficial than another, but each technique has various benefits to consider.
Crown Thinning Your Trees
Crown thinning is typical for larger, overgrown trees in Montana. This technique eliminates weak branches within the crown to improve sunlight and air flow within the crown. Air flow is important to help prevent disease.
This pruning technique also removes branches and limbs that are touching so they do not rub up against one another and snap or cause weaker areas that can be an access point for insects and pests. Limbs that grow at strange angles are typically cut off during crown thinning.
Crown Raising Your Trees
This tree pruning technique removes branches and limbs at the lower part of the crown so new limbs start higher up on the trunk. Letting low branches get too large makes them hard to cut off, and they can draw nutrients from the top of the tree, which leads to less fruit and a weak tree.
There are a variety of reasons you may decide to raise the crown of a tree. Frequently, it is done in order to clear the line of sight for cars and pedestrians, but it can also be done to increase space for landscaping beneath the tree.
It is a very common technique for large trees that are close to homes and buildings.
Crown Reduction
Crown reduction reduces the total size of the tree’s crown from its exterior edge. It shortens branches vertically and horizontally to keep the tree at a manageable size. By lowering the crown size, you can remove the need to cut the tree down because it won’t come into contact with traffic lights, power lines or street lights.
Even when the tree isn’t close to structures like these, crown reduction can make the tree look neater because it also removes irregular growth. This is a great solution for trees that are various ages but are supposed to look consistent.
Crown Cleaning
Sometimes referred to as deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is a minimally invasive type of tree trimming method that gets rid of dying, snapped or diseased branches so that the rest of the tree can continue to grow normally. These limbs can only create issues in the future.
Crown cleaning makes the tree look much better, and it stops limbs from rubbing together. Plus it is a safety practice that reduces the risk of branches falling, since healthy branches do not usually fall.
Crown Restoration
Crown restoration is an advanced pruning method for trees that have been severely damaged (either by pests or weather). It must be done by a certified arborist who knows how the tree is going to grow over time and roughly how long it’s restoration will take.
Unlike most other tree trimming services, crown restoration happens throughout an extended period of time with conservative pruning that reshapes the tree. The arborist must have a definitive plan to restore the tree, but also must be flexible as the tree begins to grow and reshape on its own, working with the tree’s new growth pattern.
Vista Pruning
If you want trees that help improve the beauty of your landscaping, you are most likely interested in vista pruning. The purpose of vista pruning is to make the tree more visually pleasing from a particular vantage point.
It entails several tree trimming techniques including crown thinning, crown reduction and crown cleaning – anything that helps the trees look prettier. Remember, though, that a professional is not going to jeopardize the health of a tree, so the primary focus of vista pruning is still to create strong, healthy trees.
Espalier Pruning
Espaliered trees are heavily pruned to grow flat against a wall or a trellis. It is a unique style of tree pruning that will attract a lot of attention to your lawn. Espalier pruning needs to begin when the tree is very young and then continued very routinely during the tree’s life span.
Benefits of espalier pruning include allowing maximum sunlight to get to the trees, as well as making it much easier to harvest fruit.
Professional Tree Pruning in Montana
Tree trimming can be dangerous for a tree, your landscaping, and, of course, for you! MT Tree Trimming highly suggests professional tree trimming over DIY.
Aside from the many possible dangers of tree trimming, you can do a lot of harm to a tree if you don’t know how to prune it properly. Over-pruning is one of the most typical mistakes made by homeowners trimming their own trees.
Trees in Montana that get annual care from a professional are usually much better off, and hiring an experienced arborist from MT Tree Trimming to prune the trees on your property is a choice you won’t regret. Locate your city in our service area. We work with arborists across the entire state of Montana!
