Ajax, Oshawa & Durham Region, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, York Region & Toronto
Need a professional to carry out pruning or tree trimming in Ajax, Oshawa & Durham Region, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, York Region, or Toronto? Send us a message if you would like to make an appointment or for a free quote.
We are professional arborists, with over 20 years of experience, who specialize in tree trimming and tree removal. If you have very mature or high trees you need to take particular care of them. With our specialist equipment, we can tackle even the highest trees, safely and efficiently, and with our trademark friendly service. We will take on one off jobs, or regular tree maintenance contracts.
We often find that people call us to trim their trees because they have become too big or lost their shape. Or because branches are overhanging in awkward places or getting too close to power lines. We are happy to take on these jobs but we always advise that a regular tree trimming program is the best way to care for your trees. Trees need to carry out regular tree pruning for a number of reasons. Yes, to keep your trees in shape and looking good. But also, to keep them healthy and promote growth. Regular pruning will remove dead or weak branches and protect your trees from disease and pests. It is also important for maintaining the strength and stability of your trees. The best way to protect your property from storm damage from trees is to care for them properly all year round.
Before you get out the garden tools and start pruning, bear in mind that the reason for pruning trees is not just to reshape them. It is also for the health of your trees, to encourage the right structure and to promote healthy growth, flower and fruit production. So, when pruning, you shouldn’t just focus on the shape that you want your trees to be or only prune to cut off overhanging branches. Some of the pruning techniques discussed below are easier than others. Some are best left to a professional arborist.
It is very important to remove any branches that are dead, broken or show signs of disease on a regular basis. These are your tree’s points of vulnerability and, if you do not remove them pests, diseases or decay can move into the rest of your tree. In the worst case scenario, your tree could eventually die and you would have to cut it down. You also remove these branches for safety reasons, as they can break and fall very easily, especially in bad weather.
Thinning is another technique that gardeners will be familiar with but can be a bit trickier when dealing with trees rather than shrubs. Here certain branches are trimmed to remove the density of the foliage. This allows light to penetrate and air movement through the canopy. It is really important to know which branches are the right ones to cut back so you don’t damage the overall health of the tree.
This is when you remove or cut back the lower branches of the tree to raise its canopy. It can be done for aesthetic or safety reasons, providing higher clearance for people passing under the tree, reducing vulnerability to storm damage or managing fire risk. But it also promotes growth, by restricting the growth of the lower branches of young and medium sized trees, all the tree’s energy can go into the growth of the branches higher up the tree.
Here we selectively prune branches to reduce the overall height or the spread of the canopy. This type of pruning needs a certain level of skill. It is important that you do not reduce the tree by too much or you can cause irreparable damage or even kill the tree. As a rule of thumb, we do not remove more than a third of the canopy but the amount of cutting back a tree can tolerate will depend on the species of tree.
All aspects of residential tree care, pruning, tree removal & emergency call out service
Arborist consultancy, tree maintenance contracts, golf course services, vehicle & operative hire, lot clearance
Tree pruning, shaping and trimming should be carried out carefully to avoid the risk of damaging your trees. Sarginson’s Tree Services specialize in tree removal and tree trimming – particularly tall and mature trees. We undertake residential and commercial work and are happy to take on one-off jobs, or regular tree care contracts. Please get in touch to arrange a consultation or a free quote for your tree work.
Some of our customers’ most frequent inquiries about tree pruning
Can cutting branches kill trees?
If done correctly by a certified arborist no harm will be done to the tree.
When should shrubs be cut back?
Trees and shrubs should be pruned once yearly.
How to trim a tree that’s too tall?
We recommend reducing the crown by one third.
