WoodChuckers Tree Service
Call us now: 724-417-0183
Professional Tree Pruning
Pruning and proper tree management is a integral part of our beautiful urban trees. Sustaining the trees health, vigor and safety. Here at WoodChuckers Tree Service our pruning goals and practices are to maintain safety, improve tree structure and health, satisfy customers goals and keep the tree aesthetically pleasing.
Our arborists understand the biology and basic requirements of trees to undertake pruning that will optimize tree health and structure. There are many objectives to consider when pruning a tree such as reducing the potential for tree or branch failure, providing clearence, reducing shade and wind resistance,maintaining health, influencing flower or fruit production, improving a view and also improving aesthetics. WoodChuckers Tree Service also understands the importants of sterilizing our instruments and pruning tools in between pruning multiple trees. Pruning should be done properly. There are many different reasons to prune a tree:
-
to remove storm damaged branches
-
to remove branches that are diseased
-
to thin the crown to enhance new growth and better air circulation
-
height reduction
-
to remove obstructing lower branches
-
to shape a tree for design purposes
-
to increase fruit production (on fruit trees)
-
to maintain structure & intregity
What is Topping?
There are many less then desirable and non preferable pruning practices within the tree industry. One of these improper pruning practices is called topping and it is not a recommended pruning practice among well educated arborists. It will also lead to more expense and cost because in the long run the tree will become unhealthy and die which will then need removed. Most people have their trees topped because they think or feel it will make the tree more safe because they have reduced the height , this is anything but true. Topping is cutting back a tree to a predetermined crown limit. Topping will lead to branch dieback, decay, irregular, and unstable sprout production from the cut ends, resulting in a potentially hazardous situation once the sprouts become very large and heavy. There are ways to do proper height reduction and crown thinning if neccesary on certain species of trees. Not all tree species can handle height reduction. Call WoodChuckers Tree Service and our arborist will recommend what is best for your beautiful trees.
What is espalier pruning & pollarding?
WoodChuckers Tree Service also provides professional specialty pruning that most other tree services do not provide. We can help your orchard become more productive or do pruning to create a special effect. There is a pruning technique called espalier. Espalier pruning is a combination of pruning and training of branches that are oriented in one plane, usually supported on a wall, fence, or trellis. The pattern can be simple or complex, formal or informal. This technique has been used for centuries on fruit trees, especially when space was extremely limited. Another specialty pruning system Woodchuckers Tree Service provides is called pollarding. Pollarding is a training system that involves severe heading the first year followed by sprout removal annually or every few years to keep large growing trees to a modest size or to maintain a formal appearence. The pollarding process must be started when the tree is young. It is not an effective technique on every specie of tree. The selection and choice of tree species is a very important consideration when pollarding is the goal.
What are the best times to prune my trees?
What is crown thinning and storm damage prevention?
What is crown reduction?
So what are the best times to prune your trees? As a rule, growth is maximized if pruning is done just before the buds swell, in late winter or very early spring. Pruning when trees are dormant (winter) can minimize the risk of pest problems associated with wound entry and allow trees to take advantage of the full growing season to begin closing and compartmentalizing wounds. Never prune your oak trees in spring . It is best to prune your oaks in late fall or winter. Pruning your oak trees at this time may help prevent them from getting oak wilt. Oak wilt is a fungal disease that can quickly kill a oak tree. Symptoms may vary from tree species but generally consist of leaf decoloration, wilt, defoliation, and death. The fungus is spread from diseased to healthy trees by insects vector or via connections between tree root systems. All oaks are susceptible to oak wilt disease. It is most common in red oaks. It is not uncommon for a infected red oak to die over a course of a single summer. During the spring and summer months care should be taken to prevent injury to susceptible trees during this period, especially from construction. If your oak tree is injured because of a storm or accident WoodChuckers Tree Service will be glad to come out and inspect the tree and evaluate the wound and see if a preventative method can be implemented or if removal would be the best option. Management of the disease consist mainly of preventing infection by avoiding tree wounds, removing disease trees, and digging trenches that disrupt root connections. Chemical treatments are available and are mostly preventative. Injections of propiconazole can help prevent transmission. Many as a half dozen injections every six months may be required to protect a large red oak near infected trees. Injections every other year may also be used to treat white oak, if it is not yet greatly infected. Contact WoodChuckers Tree Service so we can keep your trees safe and healthy.
When pruning or thinning a tree to help maintain structural integrity diligent care must be taken in the selection of what branches are to be removed. The goal would be to do a crown cleaning or thinning, removing selective branches to increase light penetration and air movement throughout the crown, and to also improve structure. It is also important to remove dead, diseased, broken, or weakly attached branches from the trees crown. This will allow more light to stimulate and maintain interior foliage. It will also increase the air flow and help with good general health. Cleaning and thinning toward the tips of a branch can reduce the windsail effect of foliar clumps in the crown and relieve the weight of heavy limbs. WoodChuckers Tree Service prefers to take a conservative approach when it comes to thinning. Proper thinning should retain the tree's nature shape and structural beauty. Removal of too much foliage can have adverse effects on the tree and become detrimental to the tree's health and even cause death.
Crown reduction is pruning a tree to reduce the size of a tree, but not topping it or just thinning the crown. This is accomplished by cutting limbs back to their point of origin or back to laterals capable of sustaining the remaining limb. This type of pruning is not for all species of trees , much consideration must be given to the ability of the species to sustain this type of pruning.
What is crown restorative pruning?
If you have a tree that has been improperly pruned/ topped and has sprouted vigorously with irregular water sprout growth, crown restoration can improve its structure, appearance, and safety. Restorative pruning consists of the selective removal of some water sprouts, stubs, and dead branches to improve tree structure and form. Methods of restoration may also be used to sustain storm damaged trees when it is possible.
What is structural pruning?
Structural pruning is training young trees to promote good health and structure. Sometimes it can be implemented on older trees with structural problems. Structurally pruning a young tree will help prevent structural defects ( such as codominant stems ), which means they should have less potential for failure at maturity. Another benefit of structural pruning is the tree tends to require less maintenance as they age.
What is crown raising & vista pruning?
Pruning fruit trees
Crown raising is the removal of lower branches of a tree in order to provide clearance for buildings, signs, vehicles, pedestrians, and lines of sight. Vista pruning is done to enhance a specific view. Proper care must be taken. It is best to avoid excessive removal of lower limbs so that development of trunk taper is not affected and structural stability is maintained.
There are serveral reason why root pruning is important to your trees health. You want to be sure you are starting with your best foot forward. The root system of a tree is the foundation of the tree. Just as a home must be built on a solid foundation, your tree must have a healthy root system in order to live, thrive, and support itself. Poor planning, improper planting, and mulching will result in disease and death. The root system performs very important functions to the trees survival. Functions like anchorage, storage of nutrients, absorption, and conduction. The purpose of root pruning during planting is to encourage and increase the density of root development within the trees root. During construction or excavation where you wish to preserve a tree, one way to help conserve a tree or trees would be pre-cutting roots behind the line of a planned excavation to help prevent tear, compaction, and splintering of remaining roots. Heavy construction equipment can also damage roots by compressing soil and crushing roots to the point where the roots can no longer respire, greatly affecting tree health or even causing death. Using root pruning methods in the purpose of disease management, severing tree roots to prevent disease transmission through root grafts. An example of this would be severing roots grafted from infected oak trees ( that have oak wilt disease ) from the roots of the non-infected healthy oak trees. Proper inspection of buttress roots ( roots at the trunk base that help support the tree and equalize mechanical stress ) root crown or root collar ( area where the main roots join the plant stem, usually at or near ground level ) should be done. Checking for decay, fungus, bleeding, frothy flux, pest, and defects like gridling root ( roots that encircle all or part of the trunk of a tree or other roots and constricts the vascular tissue and inhabits secondary growth and movement of water and photosynthates ) so that the proper procedure can be determined to make any corrections or if removal is necessary. Call WoodChucker Tree Service now for your expert tree assessment.
what is root pruning?
You may have a goal to achieve the most growth and fruit production from your fruit trees. Fruit trees can be pruned just after first bloom or sometimes right before the buds swell. (will depends on what the goals are at that time) Fruit trees may also be pruned during the dormant season to enhance structure and distribute fruiting wood. Pruning may help keep tree branches lower to the ground for ease of harvasting fruit. Cutting branches growing straight up, but leaving all the horizontal branches helps to achieve this. Fruit trees can also be grafted to achieve a desired goal. Such as creating a healthier root stock, or creating a tree with a variety of different fruit on one tree just to name a few. Some cultivars (varieties) of plants do not come from seeds. Others are difficult or impossible to reproduce from cuttings or other propagation methods. Grafting (topworking) is a great way to change a large tree from an old to a new variety. It is also a method of using a root system better adapted to soil or climate than that produced naturally by a ungrafted plant. By using special understocks of interstems, grafting is also way to produce dwarf plants. Lets get your orchard growing! Call WoodChuckers Tree Service now.
Professionial Tree Removal & Crane services
WoodChuckers Tree Service also offers expert tree removal and crane services. Keeping safety of pedestrians, ourselves, pets, and others at the forefront is always our goal. We remove all sizes and types of trees , big or small we cut it all. Woodchuckers Tree Service also offers 24hr emergency services. Unfortunately, mother nature can cause a tree to fail resulting in property damage. Sometimes because of severe weather or a defect within the tree itself. If you are having the unfortunate experience of storm or defective tree damage to your property or place of business WoodChuckers Tree Service is here to help. We will come and assess the tree and have it removed as safely and quickly as possible. Prevention is the best medicine!!! An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure! The ability to predict tree failure is limited, but Woodchuckers Tree Service can identify characteristics that are associated with tree failure. Woodchuckers Tree Service would be happy to give you a free risk assessment and tree inspection to help ensure the safety and health of your trees.
What about your woods?
Do you own property with timber on it? Would you like to preserve it, sell it, have a goal with it for the future, or would you like to make it a wildlife/plant sanctuary? WoodChuckers Tree Service can help. Private landowners hold 71% of pennslyvania forest. Pennslyvania is the nations largest producer of hardwood lumber, producing over one million board feet per year. Wisely managing your woods/trees can provide you with an array of benefits such as income and recreation or other goals you that may have. It is also very important to conserve the state's natural resources ensuring healthy and vibrate forests for the future. Woodchuckers Tree Service will always manage your woods/forest in an enviromentally responsible manner. We only plant native plants and trees into the landscape. In order to properly plant natives into your landscape Woodchuckers Tree Service can guide you in what native plants that suit your interest and site conditions best. Site develop can also be achieved through natural management techniques creating a very healthy enviroment for your trees and wildlife. Woodchuckers Tree Service can develop a conscientious long term plan so your family may harvast timber in the future. Let get started. Call WoodChuckers Tree Service.
Crane removal services : At times it is necessary to use a crane during tree removal. Damaged or dead trees can pose an unacceptable risk that cannot be mitigated except by removal of the tree . When a trees risk level is deemed unacceptable, action should be taken to remove it as soon as possible. Removal of dangerous trees that pose an unacceptable risk may also pose a hazard to the arborists doing the removal. Cranes and special rigging methods will be employed to accomplish the removal as safely as possible.
