Whether you own an older home with mature trees, or you're just starting out with a brand-new home and young saplings, a reliable tree service is a must for keeping your property looking its best. These services offer many different options for homeowners. Here, we'll review what a tree service can do for you, the advantages of having trees on your property, and some common problems which a tree service can help you solve. We'll also offer some hints and tips for finding the best tree service professionals in your local area.
Beautiful and Functional Additions
Though they are striking to look at, trees do much more than just decorate your property. Depending on where and how they're planted, trees can become natural privacy fences and even windbreaks to protect your home and yard from damaging gusts.
Privacy Fencing is one of the trendiest current ways to use trees on your property. Homeowners are seeking out more environmentally friendly ways to live, and using trees as a living fence is a perfect solution! To create a privacy fence, simply plant narrow, vertical and fast-growing trees where you would have otherwise built a fence. There are many fast-growing options out there, some of which can grow three feet or more in a single season! You won't have immediate privacy, but you will end up with a beautiful fence which has zero visibility and is gentle to the environment. Junipers and cypress trees are among the most popular for privacy fencing.
Windbreaks are most common in areas where strong, damaging winds are a common issue, such as near the ocean. Planting a windbreak can play a big role in protecting your home and yard from damaging winds, helping to avoid costly repairs. The trees used for windbreaks vary, but some of the most popular include pines, poplars, firs, willows and oaks. Certain shrubs, such as cranberries, dogwoods and hazelnuts are also useful in certain areas. Your local tree service will have the most reliable and complete list of trees and shrubs which grow well in your area. Proper planning is the key to an effective windbreak, so make sure that your professional has experience with the concept. You may want to seek out a company which specializes in windbreaks. These companies are common in areas which often experience damage due to high winds.
Visual Appeal is perhaps the most popular and traditional reason to add trees to your property. Not only are trees beautiful to look at, but they lend the entire property an air of permanence. While you can't grow mature trees overnight, you can experiment with creative designs incorporating bushes and shrubs into your landscape, to add visual appeal and excitement while your trees grow and mature. Fast-growing trees are wonderful for this purpose, growing extremely quickly to deliver the look you desire in far less time.
Whether you love the look of blossoms in the springtime or brightly colored leaves in the fall, a local tree service will be able to provide you with many different choices. Trees which produce fruits or berries are great for attracting butterflies and birds, which is a wonderful way to help out the environment while providing yourself with free entertainment.
Common Tree Concerns
As beautiful as they are, many things can go wrong with a tree, regardless of its age. Some issues can be addressed and corrected, while others require removal.
Disease can affect trees very easily, partially because we don't go out and inspect our trees very often. By the time a disease becomes obvious, it's often quite advanced. Calling in a tree service will let you know what the best course of action is. Sometimes a spray or other form of insecticide is helpful and can clear up the issue. In other cases, portions of the tree may have to be removed. In severe cases of disease, a tree sometimes needs to be removed in order to protect other, nearby trees from succumbing to the same disease.
Dead trees or branches required professional attention for several reasons. If these branches are hanging over areas where children play or cars are regularly parked, they pose a safety hazard. Once a branch is dead, all it takes is one strong gust of wind to send it crashing to the ground. If the entire tree is dead, it could topple over and crush anything it lands on, including people, cars and pets. The removal of dead growth is a vital party of tree maintenance for obvious safety reasons.
Unwanted growth isn't as dire as disease or dead growth, but it still needs to be addressed. In order to keep your property looking well cared-for, a yearly pruning is necessary to get rid of any unwanted or unruly branches. Many homeowners also make it a practice to remove branches which overhang outdoor recreation areas, such as patios, decks or pools. This prevents excessive leaves being dropped into these areas, and it also discourages birds from leaving unpleasant messes on cars, outdoor furniture and other items. Remember that some branch overhang is desirable, however, to provide welcome shade from the summer sun.
If you plan on cultivating trees which require intense pruning, such as sculpted topiary, remember that frequent attention is a must. Call a tree service and find out how much this pruning will cost before you invest in these living sculptures.
Tree and stump removal is perhaps the most labor-intensive field of tree service work. If a large tree is growing close to your foundation, it's important to have it removed as quickly as possible. Tree roots have the potential to severely damage your foundation and underground pipes, costing you thousands in repairs. Removing stumps is usually more of an aesthetic concern, but still requires some work. Depending on the individual tree service, stumps will either be chopped out of the ground, or dissolved using special liquid or particle-based preparations.
Going Green
In today's environmentally-conscious age, using products which are gentle on the environment is a top concern for many homeowners. Before you make a hiring decision, be sure to discuss your concerns with a prospective tree service. Ask if they use products which are toxic, and if they offer environmentally friendly alternatives. Nearly every chemical commonly used in tree service, from those used to treat disease to those which dissolve stubborn stumps, have been made available in formulations which are gentle on the environment. In fact, many tree services now use only environmentally-friendly products.
What Does a Tree Service Do?
As we've mentioned, a tree service can cut down a dead tree, prune back unwanted growth, or help bring a diseased tree back to health. In addition, they often provide some landscaping services as well.
Tree service professionals can help you plan your yard if you're just starting out. They can recommend the best and most hardy trees for your local area, as well as help you with planning a windbreak or a privacy fence.
Tree services also provide regular maintenance services. They can rake up fallen leaves and dispose of them for you on a seasonal basis. Many homeowners have dead or diseased trees taken care of during a once- or twice-yearly visit, as part of regular home maintenance.
Finding the Best Tree Service
When seeking out a professional tree service, it's vital to hire a local company. Due to easy accessibility offered by the internet, it's possible to obtain an online consultation from a tree service located clear across the country. While this sounds convenient, it's actually not the best solution.
Trees, just like any other plants, are very specific to your local region. A tree which grows and thrives in one part of the country may wither and die in another part, due to the vast differences in climate. Temperature, rainfall and soil conditions all play a part in the healthy growth of a tree.
Finding a local tree service is also important because a local professional can visit your home and see the property first-hand. This is crucial when planning your landscaping, since the professional will be able to see subtleties which you may not even be aware of. For example, if you're planning on planting a tree in front of your home, a knowledgeable professional might tell you that it's not likely to do well there, due to a lack of proper drainage. This is just an example; there are many small factors which contribute to the success or failure of young trees, and a professional in the field is trained to spot them quickly.
Seeking out a local tree service can seem intimidating at first. The phone book is filled with options, but how can you tell which services are best? Online home-improvement websites are a much better way to find a tree service, for several reasons.
By searching online, you can look through tree services in your local area. You can view their credentials and insurance (in most cases). You can also read reviews from former clients just like yourself, which gives you valuable insight.
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