If your trees are sturdy, it may be easy to ignore a regular trimming or pruning routine. However, trees left untrimmed can develop a canopy that doesn’t allow wind to pass through. Broken branches can leave jagged tears in the tissue of the tree and leave it vulnerable to pests and disease.

Plan for Storm Season

Even healthy trees can suffer storm damage. If the trees on your property showed a lot of snags or broken tree branches over the winter, a thorough spring cleanup is a good idea. Getting this cleanup done before new leaves form will remove stress on the tree and promote a healthy growth habit.

Regular Trimming Can Prevent Wind Damage

An overcrowded tree can create a great deal of wind resistance, especially when it’s fully leafed out. In the strong winds of a spring or summer storm, such a tree can suffer serious damage. Large branches can be broken off or torn away and left hanging.

Small branches can also be broken off, either leaving them trapped high in the tree or dangling above your yard. Once these branches tear away, the wounds in the fiber of the tree can draw destructive insects that may further weaken the tree.

You Can Gain More Access to Your Yard

If you have new trees in your yard, it may make sense to “raise” the crown of the tree by training it to grow upward. You can get lower branches removed to promote more growth in the top of the tree.

Not only will this help you get better shade cover out of your trees, but it will also make mowing and other landscaping chores that much easier. When working with new trees, it’s a good idea to book a yearly check and trim of lower branches to promote this growth high up in the crown.

Protect Your Property

It may also be necessary to do a crown reduction if a tree is crowding a structure or a power line. Crown reduction is an intense form of trimming but can be effective if you’re considering taking the tree out but you haven’t made your decision.

You may also choose a crown reduction if you desire an understory tree. By removing the foliage from the top of a crown, you reduce competition for sunlight for nearby trees and create a variety of heights in your landscape.

Contact Eastern Tree Pros for a detailed plan of tree trimming to protect your Greenville, NC yard.