As you can probably tell, we are a company that loves trees. They bring so much value to our communities and to our planet as a whole. For that reason, we always want to do what we can to encourage tree preservation.
While all trees are valuable and important, there’s something particularly special about large, mature trees.
The large trees on your property are likely the ones that have been there for many years. These trees are not only valuable but in many cases, irreplaceable.
Whether it’s an old Oak tree that’s been a staple in your yard for as long as you can remember, or an aging Maple that has majestically stood proud, these are the trees that have likely been on your property for decades and you don’t want to lose them.
For that reason, you might be looking into mature tree care and want to have a better understanding of long-term tree preservation.
In this article, we’ll dive into some of our best advice on large tree care, including what tasks you should prioritize.
By making wise choices for your large and mature trees, you can help preserve them for many more years to come.
Here are some things that you can be doing to ensure long-term tree protection.
You can start taking care of the trees in your yard by taking a tree inventory. These are used by arborists and tree experts to track community and municipal trees, and they provide an important record of what’s planted where, the treatments or techniques that have been applied and for what reasons, and other valuable information.
Tree inventories are like a medical history of sorts, and they can be very useful when determining which aspects of tree care and management will be the most helpful.
An essential service to large tree care is pruning. Tree pruning is an important service for older trees as it involves removing diseased, decaying, or dead branches from the tree. This will help improve the overall health of the tree.
That’s because when a tree has a struggling limb, it is sending energy to that limb to try and restore it. But removing those struggling branches allows your tree to put its energy into its overall health. As a result, you’ll have stronger, healthier trees.
All trees need water to maintain their health and it’s no different with the mature trees on your property.
The best way to water a tree is to provide a good “soaking.” You are trying to mimic natural rainfall. We recommend soaking the soil to about 12 inches deep, which is considered a “deep watering method.”
Keep in mind that it is important that the water reaches down deep to the root zone, where it is needed. One good way to water a tree is with a soaker hose or watering bag.
If you want your trees to perform their best, then deep root fertilization is an important service. Tree fertilization provides trees with nutrients that they are lacking in your suburban soil.
Deep root fertilization is a blend of essential nutrients that help to restore soil health. These are some of the elements found naturally in forest soil, which residential landscapes tend to lack.
When this fertilizer is injected into the soil, it makes its way deep down into the tree’s root zone where it is needed. This can help your mature trees to continue to maintain optimal health.
Investing in arborist services like pruning and fertilization is critical. But having an arborist on your property simply to keep a close eye is also important. When there’s an expert on your property, they’re also looking out for signs of trouble like diseases and pests.
These issues can be a lot more detrimental to mature trees. But catching these problems early can make a world of difference.
Ideally, we recommend choosing a tree care company that employs ISA-Certified Arborists. We’ve written an entire article on what that means, but essentially, it’s an arborist that has gone through extensive training and certification.
The truth is, tree problems can be hard to spot until they are severe. But when you have a Certified Arborist keeping an eye on your trees, they’ll be able to spot signs of trouble earlier on.
When you have large trees on your property, you also want to do what you can to protect them from falling. All of the tasks that we mentioned above in regard to mature tree care will help, as these steps will help maintain optimal tree health and prevent a tree’s decline.
As we’ve mentioned, pruning is also a vital service for mature trees. But it’s particularly important when it comes to preventing trees from falling. When limbs become diseased or healthy, they are at an increased risk of dropping.
Selective pruning can also be important when it comes to protecting trees from potential storm damage. Large trees have to stand up to powerful forces like snow and wind, but pruning can be performed with this in mind.
If problems with stability are discovered during pruning, there is also a service called cabling and bracing which can help add extra support.
When talking about pruning mature trees, we would be remiss in failing to mention that tree topping is an outdated and even dangerous practice that is performed on large trees. Yet, every year we still see tree companies performing this service.
Ironically, tree topping actually increases risk of problems because of the tremendous amount of stress that it puts on the tree. It can lead to infestations, decay, and disease.
Plus, it’s downright ugly! The proper way to prune a mature tree that has become too big for its area is using crown reduction.
If you are concerned that your tree is too big for the area where it’s growing (or maybe it’s causing problems, such as infringing on space where you do not want it to), your best bet is to consult with a Certified Arborist.
Often, trees that have grown “too big” can be appropriately pruned. There are different types of pruning. Crown thinning is a service that aims to reduce the overall weight of the tree. Crown raising, on the other hand, involves removing lower limbs and raising the crown. This is best for a specific purpose, such as a limb that overhangs a sidewalk.
Depending on your specific situation, a pruning service can help reduce the overall height and spread of a tree.
Of course, if a tree is entirely too large for its location and it can’t be fixed with pruning, tree removal is always an option. We like to think of this as a last resort, particularly when talking about large tree care. We know that your goal is most likely tree preservation. But there are always cases where removal is the best option.
At the end of the day, you want to be able to feel confident that your trees and all of your tree health care needs are in good hands. This is why making a smart choice for arborist services is important.
When it comes down to how to care for a tree, you want to know that an expert has got you covered for everything from fertilization to dealing with problems, pruning, and ultimately removal, if it’s needed.
While there are a lot of tree care companies out there, we strongly advise looking for a company that employs Certified Arborists, as these are going to be your highest level tree care experts.
Of course, we understand that there’s a lot of marketing noise out there and many tree care services are claiming to be the best. At Joshua Tree, we want you to know that even if you don’t choose us for our tree services, we are available as a resource to you.
We are here to answer your questions and help guide you toward making the best choices for your property no matter what.
With the right care for your trees, you’ll gain valuable peace of mind. If you’re interested in having your trees inspected and their health assured, contact us for a free consultation or give us a call at 833-JTE-TREE.