Tree Pruning Services
Unlock Your Landscape’s Full Potential
Tree Pruning Services – RTEC specialists bring proper training, the right equipment, and compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI.)
We won’t recommend Tree Pruning Services when the tree is too dangerous to climb or in irreversible decline. And we stay away from practices that are harmful or controversial. These include topping, a process used when trees have grown too large for the space. Topping removes large branches or even the whole tops of trees. It can starve a tree of its ability to manufacture food. It can cause shock and scalding (sunburn.) It opens up the possibility of insect infestation and disease and could even kill the tree. Topping may be cheaper in the short term, but it can decrease your property value in the long run.
Benefits of Tree Pruning Services
Safety Benefits
Proper pruning creates & maintains a strong tree structure. This helps prevent safety hazards such as low growing and dead limbs or branches.
Aesthetic Benefits
Proper pruning will promote new growth, more vibrant colors, and keep your tree looking neat and tidy.
Health Benefits
Trimming your trees will eliminate dead, diseased, and broken branches. By removing these branches, you can stop the spread of disease and insects within your tree. Trimming will also reduce any unnecessary weight off your tree.
Visual Access Benefits
Trimming your tree can open up your landscape, allowing more sunlight into your yard and improving your view.
HOW DO YOU PROPERLY TRIM A TREE?
There are various methods of tree trimming. Certified Arborists will help you decide what is best for you and your tree. They’ll evaluate your landscape’s trees, address your concerns, and recommend the best type of pruning cuts for your landscape.
Maintenance Tree Trimming
Removal of dead, dying, diseased, crossing branches, depending on the species and health.
Hazard Reduction Tree Trimming
Removal of larger deadwood for safety.
Vista Tree Trimming
Selective removal of limbs without injuring the tree. Performed when there is a view that the tree branches are blocking.
Crown Raising
Removal of lower branches, most commonly in areas where there is a driveway, walkway, or parking area.
Crown Reduction
Pruning less than 1/3 of the tree’s crowns or for the purpose of shaping.
Cut Back
Cut back branches from structures such as sidewalks, lights, and buildings.
Fine Tree Trimming
Removal of smaller branches and deadwood commonly performed on smaller or immature trees.
Tree Topping
Removal of large branches or whole tops of trees. This is a harmful and incorrect trimming practice. Topping stresses the tree and can lead to health decline, structural defects, and infection.
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE COST TO TRIM TREES?
Tree trimming costs range from $750-$3,500 on average for a single tree. This is a pretty wide range.
The exact tree trimming cost depends on your tree. Various factors are taken into consideration, including:
- Crown spread
- Accessibility
- The tree’s diameter at breast height (dbh)
- History of maintenance
TREE TRIMMING AND POWER LINES
Trees and power lines don’t mix.
Prevent your trees from coming in contact with power lines by planting the right tree in the right place. A good thing to keep in mind is the eventual height the tree will grow to once matured.
| Small Trees | Less Than 25ft tall | Dogwood, Redbud, Flowering Cherry, etc. | Can be planted under power lines |
| Medium Trees | Between 25ft-40ft tall | Honey locust, flowering pear, quaking aspen, eastern red cedar | Plant 20 feet away from power lines |
| Large Trees | Over 40ft tall | Maple, Sycamore, Oak, Pine, Spruce, Birch | Plant 50 feet away from power lines. |
Once a tree is within 10 feet of a power line, tree service companies will complete a line drop. For safety purposes, this must be done before work can begin. Line drops are completed by the local power company, but are typically coordinated by your tree service company.
Depending on which line is near the tree, you or your neighbor may lose access to electricity. But rest assured; local power companies in Northern VA & DC guarantee that power will be turned back on the same day.
Tree Trimming Tip: Does your tree grow too fast? Does it continue to grow too close to power lines? If so, we recommend looking into our TREE GROWTH REGULATOR.
SAFETY
Arboriculture is among the top five most dangerous occupations in the United States. Without the proper training, tools, and equipment, tree work can quickly become life-threatening.
In 2015, the media covered 58 stories of homeowners sustaining serious injury while performing their own tree work. 34 of these cases were fatal. In some cases, it wasn’t even the homeowner that sustained the fatality but bystanders.
| Cause of Injury | Fatal | Non-Serious | Serious | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caught in/under | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| – Equipment | 1 | 1 | ||
| – Tree | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| – Tree Limb | 1 | 1 | ||
| Electric Shock/Burn | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Grand Total | 34 | 7 | 17 | 58 |
The youngest victim recorded was a 3-year-old. The toddler had walked into the path of a tree his father was felling and was struck and killed.
For your safety, we strongly urge you to hire a licensed, accredited, and insured tree company for your tree service needs. Additionally, tree experts are equipped with the knowledge needed to execute the best tree trimming practices. (This includes safely handling the branch collar!).
Each day, RTEC Treecare’s number one priority is to keep their employees, clients, and local residents safe in the dangerous world of tree work. From the very beginning, we have been focused on this core priority. With our focus in expertise and safety, we had naturally become the first to be accredited in all of Virginia.
For the safety of all homeowners and their families, we strongly urge you to hire a licensed, accredited, and insured tree company.
We believe the best intervention is prevention.
Guarantee the health and beauty of the ornamental plants on your property; protect them from insects, disease, harsh weather conditions, over- or under-watering, soil compaction, and other stressors.
Designed by our certified arborists and tree service experts to provide the best ongoing, proactive, expert care for your trees and shrubs.
Once you’ve put your plant health care needs in our hands, you can relax. If any issues arise, we will spot them and either take care of them on the spot or schedule additional service.
EAB injections | Tree Growth Regulators | Intensive fungicide programs | Aphid/honeydew control | Borer treatment plans for mature trees | Bio-Stimulants for mature trees | Winter Protection Program
About RTEC Tree Care
RTEC is the premier tree and shrub care provider in the Washington DC metropolitan area.
WE ARE:
- Environmental Advocates
- Accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association
- Science based
- Certified Arborists
What Clients Say About Us
Kenton Morgan – Home Owner
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They coordinated with us and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. They thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Dennis Bruns – Home Owner
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Grey Burkhart – Home Owner
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Jerry Haggin – Home Owner
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
We Honor Our Commitments.
Our promise to you is that if we ever fall short of our commitments, we will make it right.
Other Services
RTEC Tree Care is a full service tree health care and maintenance provider in Maryland, Virginia, and DC.
Bio Stimulants
This all-natural alternative to fertilizer–like a multivitamin for your trees—is recommended twice a year for any tree or woody shrub. It can armor the plant, leaving it more resistant to disease, pests, or challenging weather conditions. You can expect no danger of overuse as is the case with ordinary fertilizers.
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Cabling
A tree with two or more large leads can be unstable and can cause damage to your property. We provide a support structure in the form of high-strength cables that help to stabilize the tree. This prevents further injury to the tree, and can even guide a mature, healthy tree to grow in the right direction.
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Tree & Stump Removal
Our goal is to preserve trees as often as possible. If they are still healthy , we do all we can to retain them. However, in cases of unhealthy or dying trees, where they are a danger to property, or when there is no other option, we can safely remove the tree.
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