PRUNING

Trees may need pruning for a variety of reasons:

• To enhance safety and reduce potential structural failure
• To remove obstructing lower branches for canopy raising
• To remove diseased, decayed or storm-damaged branches
• To enhance interior sunlight for turf and neighboring vegetation
• To thin the crown to decrease wind resistance and provide better air circulation
  
  

Our certified arborists can be consulted for all your pruning needs in order to provide proper pruning techniques, enhanced landscape aesthetics, and decreased risk of diseases being spread from one tree to another due to unsterilized arborist tools or cross contamination.

Large tree pruning, in particular, can require manual climbing or portable equipment. This is a job that should be left to experienced professionals. Never compromise personal safety.

When To Prune

The dormant season, late fall or winter, is sometimes optimal to prune some genus of trees. One advantage is that it may be easier to detect dead or decaying limbs and provide a better view of how pruning can affect the tree's vista shape. The risk of fungal infection or insect infestation can also be reduced, as both fungi and insects are likely to be in dormancy at the same time as the tree. While pruning during this time may benefit some genus of trees, other genus will benefit if pruning is done while roots are actively growing or timed with flower or fruit bearing considerations.

Cabling and Bracing

Cabling and bracing are the two most common forms of structural support for trees. Trees can grow in such a manner that their physical structure can no longer support their own weight. This is particularly common in mature multi-stem trees and trees with open canopies. Failure of a large branch or stem can result in property damage, personal injury or the decline of a tree's health. Cables and bracing rods are tools arborists use to protect or improve the structural integrity of a tree.

Cabling and bracing consists of installing flexible cables or rigid rods to reduce the chances of failure of defective unions. Cables are installed in trees to provide support to weak attached limbs by connecting two or more limbs together. Cabling is most often used to support a tree canopy with a structural defect or over stressed, where mechanical support may be needed due to split, decayed or poor limb attachment or the inherent dangers of weak-wooded trees. Poorly structured, multi-stemmed trees are more susceptible to breakage under the stress of wind or the weight of accumulated ice or snow.

Cables are installed high in the tree, at least 2/3 the distance from the defect to the crown. Rods are installed much lower, just above and/or below the defect. Cables are always stronger than rods because of their greater leverage. Cables can be used alone, but bracing is always supplemented with cables. Other less common forms of structural support are guying and propping. Guying is used on healthy trees whose roots are not holding.

There are three major reasons for cabling and bracing:

• Prevention: To reduce the chance of failure on a healthy tree with structural weakness
• Restoration: To prolong the existence of a damaged tree
• Mitigation: To reduce the hazard potential of a tree

 

STORM DAMAGE

Hundreds of thousands of shade and street trees in the United States are storm damaged by wind, ice and lightning each year. Estimates of property value loss from tree storm damage can approach one billion dollars annually depending on how severe the weather is. There are ways to help you quickly understand and prevent costly storm damage to trees. There are no real "cures" here outside of proper planting, prevention measures and treatment unless you call us for an on-site review of trees surrounding your home.

 

Trees biologically acclimate themselves to wind and ice if these destructive agents are part of an average annual growing season. Under normal weather conditions, trees sway in the wind and these movements strengthen the woody material developing the stem. This development is especially important on the prevailing wind side for hardwoods and opposite the wind side for conifers.

 

It is the abnormal weather condition and storm that damages and potentially create structural failure. There is just no way to protect trees from all types of storm damage. Trees simply are not adapted to survive worst-case storms.

Storm damage to trees usually comes in six ways - via blow-down, stem failure, crown twist, root failure, branch failure and lightning strike. Total tree collapse, crown twist and lightning strike are considered catastrophic tree events that need immediate and proper attention. Root failure, branch failure and stem failure are more subtle and can take years to kill the tree. We have the experience and the right tools and equipment to get the job done safe and efficiently.

TREE REMOVAL & VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

Trees have a lifespan and removal will eventually be necessary. Unhealthy trees with noticeable deadwood, cracks and splits in the trunk, or significant wood rot rendering the tree unstable, are candidates for removal. We offer professional tree removal services using landscape sensitive equipment. Our arborists are properly trained in ANSI and ISA standards.

With over six decades of experience, we have earned a reputation as one of the most trusted and oldest family tree services in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We strive to keep all our customers satisfied, one at a time.

Our Tree Services Include:

• Minimum access portable equipment
• Vegetation management
• Environmentally friendly approach
• Low impact tree removals

 

Our team of arborists can be consulted to safely erradicate any unsafe condition in your landscape while protecting neighboring vegetation and structures.

TREE STRUCTURE EVALUATION

While trees may appear healthy and stable from a distance, a closer inspection can reveal conditions or circumstances that can cause healthy trees to potentially fail. Tree health and tree structure can be seriously compromised due to storm damage, severe weather conditions such as drought and poor growth patterns. Ultimately, the most common condition leading to poor tree structure is related to the tree's root system, which is why many tree owners are unaware of the issue or how to help stabilize their trees.

Our certified arborists are specially trained to treat tree root system issues caused by restricted growth areas, nutritional deficiencies, tree diseases or physical damage to the roots. Our arborists will perform a thorough tree structure evaluation of the tree branches, tree crown and stems for internal decay, seams and cracks, and tree unions. Our customized tree care solutions for your tree integrity may include training juvenile trees, pest management, decay detection and treatment, cabling and bracing or pruning overgrown heavy limbs.

Healthy plants begin with healthy soils. Adjusting soil pH and ensuring that adequate organic matter is present are key elements to healthy soils. Fertilization can be just the start in assimulating optimal conditions for growth found in nature. Our environmentally friendly approach to root zone soil injection and soil amendments incorporates all of the above in time sensitive treatments.

We offer prescriptions of slow release fertilizers which can be customized for specific soil conditions. This helps to ensure that nitrogen is not lost to leaching or runoff and is stored in the tree as carbohydrates and sugars, which optimizes availability when needed. If soil phosphorus levels are adequate or treatments are applied in sensitive sites such as watersheds, we can use phosphate-free products that are specifically formulated to potentially eliminate water pollution from this nutrient.

We offer a variety of systemic insect controls that can be directed into the root zone of trees to eliminate potential drift or runoff.  However, sometimes foliar sprays are more effective in delivering abatement materials. Macro\micro injections are also very effective tools. Monitoring insect activity and identifying key pests can be beneficial towards long-term preventative plans in any landscape.