Avoiding Common Tree Mistakes

3 Signs Your Tree May Need Expert Pruning or Trimming

3 February 2017 by Chiara Brun

Do you own a home with one or more trees on the property? When is the last time that you had the trees trimmed or pruned? While some trees need to be pruned back or trimmed yearly, other trees may only need to be trimmed once every few years. However, all trees should be cut back at some point. Some of the biggest signs that it's been too long since the last trimming or pruning are as follows: 

Creaking or groaning: Some varieties of trees will creak or groan with almost any wind. But creaking and groaning are often signs of dead wood moving with the tree. For example, a limb may have died off last autumn but is still attached to the tree. If your tree was previously quiet in most winds, except for rustling of leaves and branches, but has now started to creak or groan, you should have a tree service professional take a look at the tree. It's better to have the tree trimmed back now than for it to abruptly shed a dead or dying limb right onto your roof during the next big wind storm.

Insect damage: In general, insects will often ignore a healthy tree to prey on one that is weak or damaged. Termites, in particular, are only interested in the dead wood that a tree contains and not the living bark area. Signs of heavy insect damage may mean that your tree is dying. On the other hand, a qualified tree service professional may be able to save the tree with some careful pruning and the application of various chemical formulas to repel pests and to help the tree to heal. The less of the tree that has been damaged by the insects, the better the potential outcome.

Woodpeckers: Insect infestation isn't always externally obvious to humans. But if your tree is frequented by woodpeckers, then it's possible that you have a problem anyway. Although woodpeckers do sometimes use the hammering sounds to communicate, something you've discovered on your own if you ever had a woodpecker hammer away at your drainpipe early in the morning, they're usually on the lookout for insects. While you might not notice anything suspicious with your tree, a woodpecker might actually be able to hear the insects moving within the tree or they may be able to smell them. If you're getting annoyed with the woodpeckers attacking your tree, it's probably not their fault. The tree likely contains something that is delicious to a woodpecker and a tree service professional like those at Yarnell Tree Co Inc will be able to give you advice on how to get rid of the problem.

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