As most home owners in Kansas City know, pruning and trimming—the acts of strategically removing tree branches—are essential forms of tree maintenance. Every few years, mature landscape trees and shrubs will need to be pruned to promote an ideal shape. Why are pruning and trimming so important to residential trees? For their vitality, safety, and beauty:
- Vitality: To keep a tree healthy, you need to periodically prune any dead, dying, or damaged wood, including branches that are rubbing together or areas that have been on the receiving end of hungry insects. Trees can also be trimmed to allow more light and air to reach a tree’s canopy or to decrease strain on its trunk and roots.
- Safety: Pruning dead, dying, or structural unsound branches ensures that they do not fail during heavy winds. At the same time, trees must often be trimmed so they do not grow too close to power lines or interfere with traffic sight-lines.
- Beauty: Trees can grow in unplanned or unusual ways if left unchecked. It’s very common for Kansas City home owners to prune their trees for aesthetic reasons, removing branches to improve its overall form. Trees can also be trimmed to promote new growth and flower production. And of course some people trim their trees into unique ornamental shapes!