A common misconception about garden maintenance is that you only need to call an arborist to remove trees. But the health and well-being of your trees depend on two annual tree services: tree pruning and tree trimming. Often these phrases are considered interchangeable, but each serves a distinct purpose in the life of your trees. 

How to Differentiate Between Essential Tree Services

Pruning

Pruning is the removal of dead, loose, or diseased parts of a tree to foster its growth. Done annually after the blooming season, this tree service is vital because it not only removes limbs that are inhibiting the tree from flourishing, but it also can protect nearby plants from disease and nearby people from falling branches. Pruning is a calculated skill that should only be performed by a professional, otherwise you run the risk of stunting a tree’s growth instead of facilitating it. 

Trimming

Trimming refers more to the aesthetic well-being of a tree, shrub, or hedge. It is done once or twice a year to create a specific shape for the plant in question. This maintenance isn’t strictly for the beautification of a tree, though. If you’ve ever seen a tree that is growing around a power line, tree trimming makes that happen by altering its growth and guiding the limbs of the tree around the hazard. If you have a tree that’s growing too close to power lines, don’t try to do the tree service yourself; always call the power company, who will send skilled tree removal professionals to do the job.  

Why Both Are Important

Pruning and trimming provide distinct benefits to the tree, and when inclement weather rolls through, you’ll be thankful you did both. Pruning is essential because it assures that trees don’t have loose limbs that could fall in high winds, rain, or snow. It also maintains the health of the tree, so that it won’t uproot with one strong gust of wind and fall on your house. Trimming on the other hand prevents the tree from being too close to hazards like power lines, eliminating the risk of branches getting tangled in bad weather and cutting your power. Armed with both tree services, your garden will have beautiful, healthy trees that will stand the test of time. 

Do you have a tree in your yard that needs a little TLC? The professionals at Eldridge Arborist & Landscaping in Oak Ridge, NC, are the ones to call for tree service and removal. With a passion for tree care that spans over 80 years of combined experience, their specialists are trained to keep your trees looking their best, done with the safest equipment and tactics. Visit their website for details, or call them at (336) 423-7133 to schedule an appointment.