Trees are living organisms.
Let’s just start there. So every cut or damage done by an arborist is only recognized in one way by the tree, injury. Trees are stressed when they receive damage very similar to us humans. If our bodies are overly taxed whether by physical or mental stress or injury, our immune system is then compromised, leaving us far more susceptible to other ailments. So, when you hire someone to “trim” your trees, please know that every single cut they make on the tree has lifelong effects. Trees do not heal.
Lifts have removed a lot of the need for manual climbing of trees, however, there is still a need for this skill set. Often when pruning trees, utilizing a lift will not allow a tree to be pruned as well as it could be if it were being climbed. Lifts are bulky and have limited range of motion and ability to navigate through a tree’s canopy and sometimes obstacles such as tight access and difficult terrain will not permit the use of machinery.
SPURLESS PRUNING
This is where spurless pruning comes in.
Wearing spurs “hooks” on one’s feet while pruning a tree is unacceptable according to ANSI Standards, and for good reason. It commits hundreds of small, unnecessary injuries into the cambium of the tree leaving the tree far more susceptible to disease, pathogen, or stress.
Spurless pruning is completed by competent climbers by setting lines usually from the ground and then accessing the canopy via the rope and a combination of gear of their preference. From there the climber redirects and manipulates their line as they traverse about the canopy performing the necessary task. It is a work of art, and often is extremely physically demanding work, time-consuming, and technical but well worth it when done correctly, as it is at Momentum Tree Experts.
CROWN CLEANING
As stated in the ANSI A300: “This is the removal of defective limbs including those that are dead, dying, diseased, rubbing, and structurally unsound. Cleaning reduces the risk of branch failures, improves plant health, and enhances tree appearance by removing limbs that are unsightly, unhealthy, and unsound.
When performed correctly, this can be of enormous benefit to the tree and client! Allow Momentum Tree Experts to set you up with a pruning interval plan to maintain your trees properly.
WINTER PRUNING
Does Momentum Tree Experts work year-round? We absolutely do!! Well, what do you do in the winter?
Primarily we focus on oak pruning with a mixture of elm pruning. While we are happy to prune all trees during the winter due to the benefits of cold weather pruning, oaks and elms especially benefit from it. In fact, it is critical that they are pruned during the winter to avoid disease transfer via insects. Both oaks and elms have vascular diseases that kill the entire tree in a matter of weeks or months, and it is vectored from one diseased tree to a healthy tree by insects feeding on the tree. When the insect feeds on the exposed cambium of the healthy tree, it essentially vectors the disease just as a bee transports pollen and the disease enters the tree's vascular system. From there, there is often little that can be done to prevent complete tree death.
Momentum Tree Experts specializes in high-quality, purposeful pruning, and with oaks and elms it is no different. Please reach out to us to reserve a spot in our winter schedule for the care of your oaks and elms or any other tree that you desire to provide optimal care for!
