Tree trimming and pruning, done to standard

What we will not do: top your tree.

Topping -- cutting the leaders back to stubs -- is still the most requested and most damaging thing in this trade. The tree responds by throwing dense regrowth that is attached only at the surface of the old wound, so in a few years you have a taller, heavier, weaker tree than the one you were worried about. If your tree is too big for its spot, there are proper reduction cuts back to a lateral that keep it sound. We will show you the difference at the quote.

The cuts, in plain terms.

Crown cleaning takes out the dead, dying and broken wood -- the stuff most likely to come down on its own. Crown raising lifts the lower edge for clearance over a driveway, walk or roof. Crown reduction brings the overall size down using cuts back to laterals that can take over as leaders. Crown thinning opens the canopy so light and wind move through instead of catching it like a sail. Most jobs are a mix, and we will tell you which ones your tree actually needs rather than selling you all four.

Timing matters more than people expect.

Dormant-season pruning, roughly late fall through late winter here, is easiest on most hardwoods and lets us see structure without leaves in the way. Oaks in particular are better pruned in the cold months to avoid oak wilt pressure. Dead and hazardous wood comes out whenever it is found -- that does not wait for a season.

What a pruning job includes

• A walk-around first, so you know which cuts we are making and why
• Proper cuts at the branch collar -- no flush cuts, no stubs, no topping
• Clean, sharp, sanitized tools between trees where disease is a concern
• Clearance pruning off roofs, gutters, drives and walkways
• All brush chipped and hauled, work area raked and blown