Tree Care Services

Tree Trimming

There are some widespread misconceptions about what trees need. One is that a trees' foliage is like a person's hair or toenails, and should be regularly trimmed back. The truth is that a trees' foliage is more like its heart and lungs than its hair and toenails. While a tree does generate dead material that sometimes needs to be removed as it grows, cutting live foliage causes stress in a tree. Even dead material serves a function in a tree, and shouldn't be removed indiscriminately.

Another misconception is that foliage needs to be removed from a tree in order to let the wind pass through. As I will explain further on, "stripping out" a tree can actually make it more susceptible to wind damage.

Most of the trees in Reno are introduced species and not adapted to the extreme climate of this area. This means that most of them are somewhat stressed under the most ideal conditions that can be provided in this climate. Therefore the pruning of trees here should be done sparingly and with the goal of setting the trees structure on a growth trajectory that requires minimal future maintenance.

Properly trimmed elms, allowing them to withstand stresses imposed by harsh weather.

Liontailed Elms improperly trimmed, causing them to be stressed and vulnerable in bad weather.

Tree Strength and Resilience

The structure created by trees' foliage and branches is called the crown. A trees' crown is designed to withstand great stresses imposed by wind and snow. It is able to withstand these stresses because the network of fine branches form a flexible matrix that dampens the force of sudden gusts and distributes the load of heavy snow. The fine dead material inside the crown contributes to the effectiveness of that matrix.

Unfortunately, there are many examples around town of trees that have been "Stripped Out", or "Lion Tailed". These are the trees that look like large stalks of broccoli. These trees are likely to suffer catastrophic breakage during strong storms because the ability of the crown to serve as a shock-dampening unit has been compromised. In other words, each individual branch has to endure stresses generated by wind or snow that would have been distributed throughout the crown if it had remained a viable matrix.

Tree Structure and Form

It is often possible to guide a trees structure so that it fits a site better than it would if it were not structurally pruned. A tree can usually be made to grow away from buildings, wires, signs or other structures. Trees can also be encouraged to take on more vertical or horizontal growth tendencies, whichever may be desired.

At Los Verdes Arborists we specialize in coaxing the best structural qualities out of each unique tree through the judicious selection of branches to be pruned. In this manner we hope to contribute to a healthier, more vigorous urban forest. We do not do topiary pruning or otherwise top trees to force a profile that is not natural.

Tree Topping

Most people have heard the phrase "Topping Hurts Trees", but many may not understand what topping is. A proper cut is made only at natural junctures along a branch and it results in new structure that doesn't have visible discontinuities or awkward scaling. A cut made at any point other than at a natural juncture or at a juncture that is the wrong scale is called a topping cut.

Topping is often done to improve a view or free up wires or clear some structure. What the people doing the topping probably don't realize is that topping will only serve to aggravate the problem that they are trying to solve.

A topped tree responds by sending out many fast growing shoots, sometimes called "Water Sprouts" in an effort to compensate for the foliage lost to the topping cut.

These sprouts have broader than normal leaves and quickly result in a thicket of vegetation that provides a greater barrier to views and more interference with wires and structures than before the tree was topped.

Tree Removal

Trees, like any living thing, have a life cycle. At the end of a trees life cycle it is usually quite large and may be standing precariously. We have the capacity to safely remove large, hazardous trees.

Because our reputation is built on the legacy of healthy trees in our wake, we would rather remove a tree that isn't suitable for a site, than top it or otherwise try to force structural modifications that injure the tree. In the long run it is usually cheaper to start from scratch with a tree that suits a site than it is to fight a tree that doesn't.

Roots

While it is possible to trim some roots without killing a tree, it should be understood that any cutting of roots will cause a tree stress. If possible, pipelines should be routed under roots that are kept moist while they are exposed to the air. Steel plates can be installed to bridge roots in a sidewalk or driveway.

As a general rule of thumb, root cutting becomes more detrimental inside the drip line of the crown. Cutting roots inside the drip line is not only more likely to notably stress the tree, it can compromise the structural integrity of the root system, resulting in the tree being blown down.

Tree roots cannot function when the soil around them has been compacted by machinery or has been paved over. Roots function in well aerated soil within about 18 inches from the surface in an area that can extend in a radial direction from the trunk of a tree for hundreds of feet in some cases. Provisions should be made to keep construction equipment out of this area if the tree is expected to be a viable element of the finished landscape. Any pavement applied over the area should be porous and flexible to allow water to reach the roots and allow the roots to expand without damaging the pavement.

We have Certified Arborists on staff that can help guide the construction process with trees in mind.

Plant Pathology

The field of Arboriculture is many faceted. While a Certified Arborist has some rudimentary training in every aspect of the field, few Arborists are expert in every category of the field. At Los Verdes Arborists, our expertise is physical pruning and removals. For tree disease or fertilization analysis and treatment, contact Dale Carlon Consulting.
775-287-1732, dalecarlon@yahoo.com.

Arborists, Inc.