Mature trees are an essential part of urban forests. These trees offer a number of benefits, including improved air quality, reduced energy consumption, storm water runoff reduction, carbon sequestering, and many economic as well as social advantages. Older and bigger trees are more capable of offering these advantages, which explains why it is essential to maintain a strong urban forest and to keep big, mature trees around, provided it is safe. To attain this, it is necessary to prune mature trees properly. Practices such as crown reduction are very important.
What is Crown Reduction?
It refers to a pruning method that takes away weight from the end of tree branches to restore a growing, healthy lateral branch. This branch will then form a new crown. This process reduces heavy, long, or overextended tree branches, and it gets rid of any branches with substantial defects. This results in a smaller crown and it does not involve reducing the tree’s structural integrity.
Why Do Trees Need Crown Reduction?
The bigger and older trees get, the more likely they will require some type of pruning maintenance. In the course of the years, trunks and branches can develop cankers or cracks, which might cause decay. This process removes the stress from defects as well as poor attachment points on trees. Poor attachment points refer to the union of branches to the tree trunks that have bark included in them. These points are major causes for failure.
When a nearby building is demolished or a big tree is removed, other trees in the area are exposed to dissimilar wind loads than they initially were.
Reducing the crowns of trees that are newly exposed will also make them less prone to failure in a storm. Reducing the crowns in trees can also avoid major damage from storms, encourage new growth in declining trees and prevent torsional cracks. In mature trees, these cracks are a major reason for failure.
Crown reduction is a better pruning technique than tree topping. Since not all pruning is the same, you should be careful when choosing a company to reduce tree crowns. Ensure that the company is experienced in reducing crowns and understands the difference between tree topping and the reduction of crowns.
Tree topping is a dated pruning method that involves the cutting of tree branches with disregard for proper pruning practices. Trees that have been topped are likely to fail when they continue to grow.
When hiring a tree company for spiral pruning or any other service, ensure that you hire a reputable service provider. You can know how reputable a potential tree company is by reading online reviews. Read as many client reviews as possible and avoid companies with many negative comments. You can also ask what people around you such as your family and friends think about a tree company you are considering.
You should also ensure that the tree company you hire is experienced. Find out how long a potential company has been offering spiral pruning and other tree services before making your choice. If you need a company to reduce crowns on big, mature trees, hire a service provider with several years of experience.
