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Never cut main branches back to stubs. Many people mistakenly "top" trees because they grow into utility wires, interfere with views or sunlight, or simply grow so large that they worry the landowner. Unfortunately, the topping process is often self-defeating. Ugly, bushy, weakly attached limbs usually grow back higher than the original branches.
Proper pruning can remove excessive growth without the problems topping creates. In addition, many arborists say that topping is the worst thing you can do for the health of a tree. It starves the tree by drastically reducing its food-making ability and makes the tree more susceptible to insects and disease.
Large Limbs
Small Branches
A tree's best friend, mulch insulates soil, retains moisture, keeps out weeds, prevents soil compaction, reduces lawnmower damage, and adds an aesthetic touch to a yard or street. Remove any grass within the mulch area, and area from 3 to 10 feet in diameter, depending on the tree size. Pour wood chips or bark pieces 2 to 4 inches within the circle, but not touching the trunk.
We don't always appreciate how far roots can extend. Understanding how and where roots grow will help you avoid damage from trenching and construction.
Girdling is any activity that injures the bark of a tree trunk and extends around much of the trunk's circumference. Such injuries, often caused by lawnmowers and weed trimmers, destroy the tree's most vital membranes, the layers that conduct water and minerals from the roots to the leaves and return the food produced by the leaves to the rest of the tree.