Tree Pruning & Tree Trimming
Preserving and maintaining your trees is as important to us at Strathcona Tree Care as it is to you. We treat your trees as if they were our own. Our team of certified arborists are educated in the practice of arboriculture meaning your trees get the right care and will continue to be an important part of the landscape’s future.
Crown Reduction/Reshaping
The process of reducing selected parts or overall height and spread of a trees canopy. The pruning work is carried out on the outer layer of the canopy by both removing and reducing branches back to suitable laterals no less than 1/3 the size of the branch taken, this minimizes stress on the tree while maintaining its natural form.
Crown Thinning
The process of removing a percentage of leaf area while creating an even density of foliage throughout the crown to improve air flow and light penetration in the canopy, also used to reduce wind drag and weight load in the canopy to minimize potential branch/stem failure.
Crown Cleaning
Removing dead, diseased and broken branches in the tree to improve tree health and aesthetics. Live branches such as watersprouts may also be removed as part of a crown clean.
Young Tree Training
Develops a stable crown in a young tree that will lead to a mature tree being free from major biomechanical weakness. The process is to remove or subordinate branches with weak unions. A crown clean is also carried out as part of a young tree train prescription.
Pollarding / Retrenchment
Pollarding starts early in a trees life and is used to manage a trees size. After the initial height and spread is determined the regrowth is removed every few years back to the previous pruning points to create knuckles.
Retrenchment is used to manage mature trees. It’s the process of reducing the outer canopy back to the scaffold structure of the tree. Pruning using heading cuts where regrowth will form from those pruning points to create a new canopy and new management plan. This is a way of retaining a mature tree and usually for safety reasons.
Crown Restoration
Pruning to improve a trees structure and natural form after losing part of its canopy due to weather, biomechanical weakness or poor pruning. We use a combination of crown reducing and thinning as part of a new management plan for the tree.
Did you know?
Spurs are tools used by tree climbers to access a tree for the purpose of removing it. When pruning trees it is arboriculture industry standard for tree climbers to access trees spurless. Spurs cause damage that leaves your trees open to disease, pests and decay. At Strathcona Tree Care we prune trees by installing a climbing line or access platform (Bucket Truck). Make sure to ask if spurs will be used to prune your trees, ISA Certified Arborists should say NO. Get in Contact with Strathcona Tree Care to discuss how we access your trees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time of year should trees be pruned?
Most light, routine pruning to remove weak, dead, or diseased limbs can be accomplished at any time during the year with little effect on the tree. As a rule, growth and wound closure are maximized if pruning takes place before the spring growth flush. Some trees, such as maples and birches, tend to “bleed” if pruned early in the spring. It may be unsightly, but it is of little consequence to the tree.
How much should my tree be pruned?
The amount of live tissue that should be removed depends on the tree’s size, species, age, and pruning objectives. Younger trees tolerate the removal of a higher percentage of living tissue better than mature trees. Generally, no more than 25% of the crown should be removed at once, and less for mature trees. Removal of a single, large-diameter limb can create a wound that may not be able to close. Care should be taken to meet pruning objectives.