If you’re like most property owners, you consider mature trees to be a huge asset. Many highly favor oak and American elm, since these two species look amazing, perfectly complementing any building.

What’s more, buying a new mature tree is quite expensive. Not only that, they provide shade in the summer, lowering building cooling costs and giving you somewhere to enjoy the outdoors, even when the sun is full and intense.

With how much you have invested in your oak and American elm trees, the last thing you want is to hurt them. When you trim these trees very much affects their health.

Prune in the Winter

If you prune at the wrong time, any benefits are outweighed by severely negative consequences. You might introduce disease in the tree, insect infestations, etc. To avoid these problems, prune your oak and American elm trees in the winter, preferably late in the season.

When you must prune outside of the winter, like in cases of disease or damage, you need to worry about oak wilt. You should dress the cuts or put latex paint over them, preventing beetles from being attracted to the tree, which is the source of oak wilt.

Benefits of Pruning

You realize several benefits when pruning trees. These are just a few:

• Stopping the spread of disease
• Removing dead wood
• Encouraging a specific shape
• Eliminating branches rubbing against each other
• Removing branch stubs
• Encouraging fruit or flow growth
• Promoting thick branch growth
• Preventing damage to property or injury to people
• Improving visibility for drivers

Professional Pruning

Knowing not only when to prune your oak and American elm trees, but how to prune them is key to their health and vitality. Simply trimming different branches at random could have disastrous results. There’s a specific approach with these trees to help them maintain a desirable shape, and keep them at the size you desire.

In addition, you need an array of tools to properly prune a tree. These tools must all be in good repair and sufficiently sharp, otherwise your cuts could be ragged, resulting in a poor appearance and difficulty with healing.

Avoid the risks of a bad pruning job. Call PPM Tree Service & Arbor Care, LLC for a professional approach that will leave you and your tree happy.