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Dec

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Pruning trees is important for fire mitigation. At the same time, you need to manage the levels of pruning to make sure you don’t harm the tree. Excessive pruning is a major problem to the life and health of the tree.

Use the Right Tools for the Job

You need to invest in good tools for pruning your trees. A sharp saw is necessary to ensure that any cut is smooth. This promotes faster healing for the tree branch. You are cutting a limb off the tree, after all!

You’ll also want to make sure your tools are sterilized, just like a surgeon sterilizes their tools for surgery. Use alcohol or diluted bleach to make sure that there is no rust, bacteria, or other disease or ailment on the tools. If you cut with unsterilized equipment, you run the risk of infecting the tree with something. The sawn off limb creates an open wound for the tree, making it harder to fight off an illness.

The tree will heal on its own, and will heal well with the right tools and steps. You don’t need to get a pruning sealer.

Close but Not Too Close

You need to get close enough to the tree to promote good healing after pruning. If you don’t get close enough, you end up allowing the branch to rot and get infected. If you cut too close, you run the risk of damaging the trunk of the tree, making it harder to heal from the process.

You want to cut close enough that you can’t hang a coat off the stub. It shouldn’t be flush with the trunk, though. This will prevent decay from allowing fungi and beetles into the tree, attacking it from the inside.

Avoid cutting parallel to the trunk. You want to work on a slight angle to allow for quicker healing and minimize damage. When it comes to larger branches, work in sections to avoid breaking the bark.

Picking the Right Branches

Now you need to get the right branches for fire mitigation. You want to get rid of the branches that grow straight up. These are weaker than those that grow straight out, and they will break in the wind. If they break, they end up healing slowly.

If you have anything that dangles, look at cutting parts of it. You want to cut to the outward-growing section. This will help to get rid of the fire risk without cutting too much of the tree.

You’ll also want to get rid of the scrawny branches. They’re not going to do well under a large, healthy branch, so it’s best to get rid of it before it becomes a fire risk.

Getting the timing right is also important. If the branches are dead, you can cut whenever. There is no ooze to attract insects. If the branches are still healthy, you’ll want to prune in the winter. This helps to encourage growth in the spring.

Colorado mastication specializes in fire mitigation in Ward and surrounding areas. We offer scrub oak removal, brush clearing, fence like clearing and defensible line creation..