Why Prune?

Proper pruning of landscape trees improves their structural strength, maintains their health, enhances their beauty, and increases their value. Pruning is advisable if:

• Trees have crossing branches, weak crotches, or other defects
• Branches are dead, dying, decayed, or hazardous
• Lower branches interfere with people or vehicles, or block visibility of signage
• Branches are growing into buildings or utility wires
• Limbs have been broken by storms
• Trees have grown too large and might injure people or damage property

Landscape trees not only make homes and communities more beautiful, but they also improve our environment and can increase the value of a property up to 20 percent. Trees are truly assets that need to be enhanced and protected. Proper pruning is definitely a worthwhile investment!

1. PennState College of Agricultural Sciences

Simple types of pruning, such as cutting lower branches from small trees, can be done by anyone who understands plants and has the proper tools. Only qualified arborists should train young trees or climb into larger trees to prune them. That type of tree work requires knowledge of scientific pruning techniques, tree physiology, and safety practices, as well as working experience with various tools and different tree species.

A qualified and reputable person or company should be hired to perform tree work, not an individual with a chain saw trying to make a fast buck. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to repair damage that has been done by poor pruning. In tree work, the old adage “You get what you pay for” is usually true. Based on the latest research, tree care practices have changed over the last ten years and will continue to change.

It is important to hire a qualified arborist, preferably a certified arborist, who keeps up with proper, safe tree care techniques and will provide high quality work at a fair price.