Trimming And Pruning Austin Area Trees
Pruning Austin Area Trees
The first thing I wish to say here is that tree limbs usually require pruning all the way out to the ends of the limb, and usually every single limb needs this treatment. If you are unfortunate enough to have had your trees trimmed by someone other than The Tree Tender, find some limbs that you can examine out in the leafy ends and see if you can spot any wounds created by pruning. If you find such wounds, please call me and let me know who did it so I can call them and congratulate them for being the first I have found who prune trees properly, other than The Tree Tender. Perhaps such service is being rendered, but I have not found any signs of it.
The Tree Tender knows that there is need for pruning in the growing parts of the branches and we are motivated to deliver this service. We are also capable of getting to those areas and making intelligent selective pruning cuts. There are many trees in this area that are living testament to the benefits of our pruning technique. They have stood virtually undamaged while the surrounding trees have been decimated repeatedly by wind and other weather related forces, but even without weather many species of trees that are common around here have limbs break due to being too heavy for the strength of the branch or its fork. My job as an arborist is to prune limbs and arteries to prevent damage from weather or other factors. Though it is impossible to prevent all damage 100 percent of the time, we prevent most of it that frequently. The Tree Tender stands ready to deliver the type of pruning I think you cannot get anywhere else. I can provide many willing references who will testify to this statement and have the trees to prove it.
Tangled limbs are not good for trees. The damage caused is complex. Tree structure gets deformed and open doors for diseases (especially Oak Wilt) are created by rubbing when the wind blows them. The Tree Tender will untangle tree limbs, even when tangled with another tree. Please, make sure your trees limbs get untangled. If someone prunes your trees and leaves limbs tangled, they did not do the job properly.
Class Pruning
Tree surgery comes in four different classes or types when done by a certified arborist. These well defined classes set up by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) go a long way toward making it possible to compare bids wisely. They have also developed a certification process for tree workers. I suggest that you make sure your trees are done according to ISA standards and that you know which class of pruning you will get. Price is not the only factor to consider. Less is not always better.
There are four classes of pruning. Class one is the most detailed class. It includes everything that the tree can have done to it right down to the small twigs. It requires more money at the time, but reduces the cost of tree maintenance over the long run. However, I do not always recommend class one. I like it best for older, long-life trees that have been well cared for over a long period of time.
· Class One Pruning (as set forth by the ISA but in my words):
1. Remove all dead limbs
2. Remove all ball moss
3. Remove all stubs (short, broken or cut limbs that are too long to develop a covering of callus)
4. Selective prune to provide clearance around structures, wires, streets, sidewalks, and driveways
5. Selective prune to correct crossing limbs (limbs that grow in such a way as to cause them to rub together)
6. Remove vines
7. Selective prune to enhance the natural beauty and balance of the tree and each limb
8. Remove all mistletoe.
9. Selective prune epicormic sprouts (small sprouts that grow along the trunk and inside the canopy, formerly known as "suckers")
10. Cable limbs that need support
11. Install rods and/or bolts to reduce, control, and/or prevent splitting
12. Treat all wounds, stubs, and cavities
13. Selective prune to manage wind resistance and light penetration
14. Remove diseased limbs
When we do our most complete pruning (class one) we do all those things and more. We prune to make trees better able to live next to each other by removing branches that damage each other and by leaving limbs that defend space that hasn't been invadede. I call this "compatibility pruning". We prune all the way to the growing tips of each limb selecting out small growth that is not growing desirably. This reduces the need for future pruning. We also prune so as to make a tree better able to fill space with well placed branches by removing obstructing limbs that force an otherwise good limb to grow poorly. ( I have never seen this done by any other service.) We prune around structures in such a way as to reduce the need for future pruning by removing as much as can be done without compromising the tree’s health and beauty. We leave nothing undone. Everything the tree needs gets done. This is our "Class One" pruning.
Class Two pruning involves removing dead limbs of one half inch or larger in diameter, pruning to clear around structures, sidewalks, driveways, streets, and wires, removing most of the ball moss, and removing all the mistletoe branches. It is almost everything that is done in Class One pruning. The only thing you do not get is the removal of dead twigs and every last clump of ball moss.This class is a good class of care for the trees in our area and costs less. I recommend this class most often. It helps the tree greatly. We include things often left undone by the other guy like: removing stubs that are not covering with callus (healing) thereby leaving a wound that will grow new bark over the wound in it's place, selective pruning to provide growing space for limbs that are being forced to grow undesirably (growing down usually) by other limbs, treating cavities, and pruning for desirable growth pattern in the long term.
Class Three pruning requires the removal of dead limbs of two inches in diameter and larger, plus the pruning for clearance around structures and wires. It is the least expensive class of pruning and does help the trees though less than the other two classes.
Class Four pruning ( a designation of my own creation ) is custom pruning. You can have whatever you would like done. I will help you to determine what to do if you like. It is a free service.
After the pruning is done we clean the area most thoroughly. When we leave the job it will be difficult to see that we were there by any means other than looking at the tree. We will even remove the dust from the driveways, sidewalks, porches, and streets. We clean the roof and gutters. And when all that is done, we take all the trimmings to the recycler where they are made into soil. We also offer to cut, stack, and leave the fire wood removed from your trees.
I will make sure your trees are treated with veneration and according to the standards established by the International Society of Arboriculture and better.