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4 Main Types of Tree Pruning in Palos Heights

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If you would like to ensure the health and safety of your trees, tree pruning is a necessity. However, it’s important to note that pruning your trees will not have any positive effects unless your trees are pruned correctly. Professional tree pruning requires great precision and care.

In general, there are 4 different types of tree pruning. These include crown cleaning, crown thinning, crown raising, and crown reduction. Below, we will discuss the specifics of each type.

1. Crown Cleaning

Sometimes called deadwood pruning, crown cleaning is the most standard of all pruning types. This simply involves removing all dead and rotting branches from a tree. Generally, when crown cleaning is carried out, only medium and large branches are removed. However, if you prefer, small branches can be removed as well.

There are a number of different ways in which your trees will benefit crown cleaning. Not only does it help to prevent falling branches, it also prevents rotting branches from spreading disease to the rest of the tree. Not to mention, it significantly improves the aesthetic of trees.

If you have trees on your property, crown cleaning is vitally important. It helps to ensure that your property is always a safe place.

2. Crown Thinning

Sometimes referred to as just “thinning,” crown thinning is a type of pruning in which select branches are removed to open up space in the middle of a tree. Generally, the branches that are removed are the ones that are particularly weak.

Crown thinning comes with a variety of benefits. In addition to improving the aesthetic of a tree, this pruning method also opens the tree up to increased sunlight and air flow. It also helps to take stress off of large branches.

While crown thinning isn’t necessarily vital, it’s still very important in ensuring the health of your trees.

3. Crown Raising

Crown raising, or just “raising” for short, is a form of pruning in which the lower branches on a tree are removed entirely. This is often done when the branches are causing an impairment to something in their general vicinity.

You might see crown raising carried out when branches are intruding on houses, power lines, sidewalks, roads, and traffic. While this method of pruning is carried out primarily to eliminate obstructions, it also helps to strengthen the trunks of trees.

If you have a tree that is affecting objects below, it’s recommended that you have its crown raised. The sooner you have this carried out, the more consistent your tree’s growth will be.

4. Reduction

Reduction is a form of tree pruning in which the width and height of a tree is lessened. Generally, it involves cutting down large branches so that they are only a fraction of their former size.

This form of pruning is vitally important to the long-term strength and health of a tree. It seeks to remove decayed portions of branches so that those portions do not spread diseases to the rest of the branch.

Reduction will not only ensure that your trees grow strong, it will also ensure that your trees’ growth is regulated. Cutting branches in this manner prevents your trees from growing too far left, or too far right.