For property owners, tree trimming is a routine part of tree maintenance, whether you try to do it yourself or hire tree care professionals to handle this for you. For many reasons, tree trimming and removal is best left to tree care professionals rather than individual property owners. Hiring the Certified Arborists of Embark Services assures that your tree trimming and tree maintenance are handled efficiently, safely, and correctly. However, regardless of who performs your tree trimming, it is vitally important to know the proper techniques of tree trimming to encourage the long-term health of your trees.
One of the major components of tree trimming is establishing the best and safest place to make the trimming cut on the tree branch. Unfortunately, many individuals and less qualified tree care companies employ a tree trimming technique that sacrifices the health and vitality of the tree for the sake of time and convenience. Known as a flush cut, this is when a tree branch or limb is removed by making a cut flush to the tree trunk, leaving a large chunk of exposed trunk behind. Flush cuts are detrimental to tree health since the large exposed wound in the trunk can cause the tree to go into shock, makes the tree much more vulnerable to tree disease and can leave the tree weakened overall.
| Improper Tree Cut | Correct Collar Cut |
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The safest tree trimming method is when limbs and branches are removed using collar cuts. Collar cuts, when done correctly, involve a three-cut process where a Certified Arborist makes a small cut underneath the limb branch being removed, then makes a second complete cut on the top of the tree branch, and then a final cut to remove the remaining branch and leave the branch collar intact. This tree trimming method, championed by pioneering Arboriculture expert Dr. Alex Shigo, preserves the health and integrity of the tree by minimizing the tree wound and allowing the tree to recover faster from the limb removal.
Trees are an important investment worth protecting, so it is key to have tree trimming and tree maintenance performed by tree care experts who understand tree health and can protect and preserve the health and beauty of your shade and fruit trees. If you would like more information on how Embark Services can perform tree trimming and tree maintenance on your residential properties, request a visit from their Certified Arborists today or contact Embark Services directly.
