Pruning and trimming is one of the most important aspects of maintaining long-lasting healthy trees and shrubs.
Whether you have young or mature trees, it’s best to trust in a tree expert to prune your trees.
WHEN SHOULD TREES BE TRIMMED?
TREE TRIMMING SHOULD BE PERFORMED EVERY 3-5 YEARS FOR OPTIMAL TREE CARE AND TO MAINTAIN NATURAL SHAPE.
BENEFITS OF TREE TRIMMING 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.
Learn more about proper tree pruning techniques.
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
Looking for more clarification on this cost range? We’ve got you covered; check out the video below.
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.
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.
I am in the Northern Virginia, DC Metro area and am looking for tree trimming services near me: Reserve an appointment with one of our Certified Arborists today!
I am outside of Northern Virginia, but am looking for tree trimming services in my area: Check out TCIA’s website to search for the accredited tree service company right for you.
