Why Prune?  Managing Your Landscape Investment  No Topping		Why Prune? Pruning is a necessary part of the cultivation of woody plants. In most cases trimming is of a corrective or preventative nature. The aim for most trees and shrubs in particular is to manage growth so that light penetrates all the way through the canopy and to prune out dead and diseased wood. Sometimes, with rhododendrons for example, all that is needed is the systematic removal of seed heads or fruits.   Pruning involves much more than simply cutting off limbs or running electric shears over a bush. Correct pruning gives a plant grace and beauty. A well pruned plant improves most surroundings and helps provide a restful scene for mind and eye, but a mutilated tree or shrub is depressing and, in a modern urban setting, may be seen by thousands. We at Total Tree Health Care understand this. Good judgment, skill and care are always needed, and conscientiousness and a love for trees and shrubs are essential. Objectives of pruning may include:

	“Pruning... is the single best investment a property owner or community can make to ensure the survival and lengthen the life span of their trees.” Robert Rouse, Staff Arborist National Arborist Association		Removal of deal or diseased branches Removal of crowded or crossing limbs Eliminating hazards Slowing and/or redirecting growth Reducing wind resistance Increasing light penetration and air circulation Managing for pedestrian or vehicular traffic Aesthetics Rejuvenating neglected shrubs Managing Your Landscape Investment Tragically, pruning is too often carried out with little knowledge of the plant material being pruned or of the results that pruning will have. Too often, the maintenance of home landscapes is placed in the hands of lawn care experts or other workers inexperienced with the practices of arboriculture. Total Tree Health Care knows that a healthy, beautiful landscape not only improves your quality of life, but also adds value to your property as well. Did you know that investing in the proper pruning of your trees and shrubs now will not only give you the beautiful landscape you desire, but return great rewards in the years to come?
	Why Hire An Arborist? Arborists are knowledgeable about the needs of trees, and are trained and equipped to provide proper care.   Total Tree Health Care owner Quintin McClellan is a Certified Arborist and member of the National Arborists Association.		You probably wouldn't hire an arborist to reseed your lawn, so why not hire an arborist to care for your trees and shrubs? A certified arborist is better able to care for your woody landscape. Total Tree Health Care's pruning techniques don't just shape your trees and shrubs on the outside. We also work inside the canopy, performing the detailed work necessary to keep them vigorous, healthy, and disease free. You will never catch us trimming your shrubs with electric hedge shears. “Ouch!” Properly trained, your trees and shrubs will actually require less attention later in life, thereby saving you money. They will live longer, have fewer problems, and be less likely to become hazards when they are older. Ultimately, a properly managed landscape will be more attractive, safe, and pleasing for you, your family and your friends.
	Proper Pruning Proper pruning is an art based on scientific principles of plant physiology. At its most basic level, pruning involves removing damaged, dead or structurally weak limbs. At its highest level, pruning involves knowing the growth and flowering habits of your trees and shrubs and effectively training the plant to favor the desired attribute.		Topping is NOT Training or Trimming While proper pruning and training are beneficial to a tree, topping damages a tree and creates a potentially hazardous condition. Topping is often done by homeowners who fear their tree is too big and could fall and damage their house. In reality, topping: Creates a hazard tree - A topped tree creates a hazard rather than alleviating one. Trees react to topping by producing a profusion of “water sprouts,” weakly attached, suckering branches that tear away from the tree during heavy winds or under a load such as ice and snow. Causes decay - Unlike a proper pruning cut, a topping cut is unable to “heal over,” giving insects and decay organisms an easy path down the branches and trunk to weaken the tree. Decay can eventually reach the base of the tree and lead to tree death. Stresses and weakens the tree - The major food factory of a tree is the leaf-bearing crown. Topping grossly reduces a tree's ability to make food, taxing the energy reserves of the tree as it tries to produce enough energy for normal function.
	No Topping, Please! Also called tipping, heading or rounding-over, topping is the indiscriminate removal of a tree's crown, cutting off large branches and/or the main stem of the tree, leaving large branch stubs.		Is Expensive - The hidden costs of topping come later in the tree's life. Repeated pruning, storm damage clean-up, and eventual removal and replacement of the tree are all expenses that need to be considered. Healthy, beautiful trees contribute 10-20% to the value of a property. Topped trees, conversely, are considered a liability and a pending expense and might even reduce the selling price of a property or discourage potential buyers altogether. Indirectly Injures Trees - Never allow the use of “spikes” or “tree climbers” on your tree unless you are having it removed. Tree spikes use a sharp gaff to support the worker by piercing through the protective bark and cambium tissues and into the sapwood. Now exposed, insects and decay organisms can enter, severely compromising the health or even the life of your tree.   Gaff wounds expose cambium tissue, compromising tree health. Total Tree Health Care offers an alternative to destructive topping. Crown reduction utilizes drop-crotch pruning cuts to reduce the overall height of a tree. Terminals are cut back to a lateral branch large enough to assume a leading role. Drop-crotch pruning should reduce the size of a tree without changing its natural shape.Call 540-552-3037 or email us today, before you top that tree!

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Total Tree Health Care • 486 Lovely Mount Drive • Radford, VA 24141-5920 • 540-552-3037 • treehelp@msn.com