tree crowning in mishawaka, indiana

With summer upon us and the new growth of spring in the trees, you are probably thinking about having your trees trimmed. Why not? After all, your trees will probably look better for it. So, who will you hire to do the job? If you are like most people, you will probably find someone who does other maintenance tasks, maybe even a gardener, but if you think about it, what will that get for you? And what will be the price you will have to pay? 

The truth is that tree trimming can mean a lot of things. For most people tree trimming means lopping off tree branches that they consider to be unsightly, especially if they block a view or present a hazard such as when they brush the top of a car or other structure. The problem is that when this is done for these reasons, there is usually very little consideration given to the tree itself. In fact, when aesthetics is the sole reason for trimming a tree, there is usually greater damage done to the tree than would have ever been thought possible. 

Tree Crowns: The Long and Short

Tree trimming is as much an art as it is a science. Unfortunately, when most people consider trimming their trees, they usually think of thinning them out. The trouble is that what one person calls thinning and what another calls it is usually two entirely different things. Some call thinning just the trimming of small branches, leaving larger ones intact. Others consider thinning cutting large branches as well. The truth is that neither of these is usually what a tree needs. Instead, what a tree needs is what is called "crowning," or the elimination of smaller brush and limbs that trim back extraneous bulk, but leaves the overall size of the tree.

When a tree is crowned, the larger limbs around the canopy of the tree are cut to the next lateral level, which preserves the overall size, while eliminating some growth. This also tends to trim the size of the tree while encouraging proper and fast healing. Not only does this reduce the size of the tree but it also prevents shock, which can eventuallydestroy a tree. This is why most tree service experts advise against cutting any more than 20 percent of a tree's canopy at any one time.

Tree Crown Reduction:

The trouble with the tree topping techniques used by most tree trimmers is that they cut virtually anything that they see as being outside of the shape they want for a particular tree. This is what most trimmers call topping. It's the type of tree that it is that dictates the shape, not the trimmer. When this dictum isn't followed, larger branches are cut, which leads to large wounds that the tree must heal. The good news in this is that the people at Mishawaka Tree Service aren't just tree trimmers. They are tree care professionals who know and understand trees and how they grow. The services we provide will cause your trees to not only look better, but grow better too.