5 Things That Can Harm Trees in Edmonton
As a property owner with trees, it’s important to know what causes harm to your trees. Tree damage can lead to the need for tree removal due to damaged, dead, or diseased trees. That’s why our professional arborists in Edmonton have compiled the following list of the top five things that can harm trees in Edmonton. Whether you have young or mature trees, proper maintenance is key to keeping them healthy and beautiful.
You’re probably well aware that having a beautifully landscaped yard with mature trees can increase your home’s property value by up to 20%. Whether you’re considering selling your home or want to maintain your home’s curb appeal, you want to ensure that you’re maintaining healthy trees. A beautifully maintained yard with healthy plants and trees fosters a welcoming environment for guests and family.
Although most types of trees found in Edmonton are resilient, several factors contribute to their continued health. It’s important to know what to avoid. That’s why our professional tree care services have put together the following list of five things that can harm trees in Edmonton.
Top 5 Things That Harm Trees in Edmonton
1. Tree Girdling
If you’re looking to maintain trees on your private property, then one thing to avoid is the practice that’s known as tree girdling. The process involves stripping a ring of bark from around the tree’s base. The bark is what lets nutrients flow to the tree’s roots, protects the tree, and provides numerous benefits.
Girdling, as a practice, can cause actual damage to your tree because it essentially starves the roots of much-needed nutrients. It ends in tree death. It’s not something that you should do if you want to maintain the continued health of your property’s trees. Especially boundary trees or border trees, which often mark property lines.
Given that you generally want to avoid causing harm to your trees, only use tree girdling when you plan on removing a tree entirely. That’s why it tops our list of things to avoid that harm trees. Edmonton property owners have enough to worry about; however, there is a wrong and right way of girdling, and the right process should be left to the experts.
2. Staking
Although certain plants can benefit from extra support, which staking provides, trees don’t typically need any support. Thus, staking isn’t beneficial to them; instead, staking often leads to bark damage and can affect the growth of your tree’s trunk. Plus, staking trees as they grow can lead them to be significantly weaker than those that aren’t staked.
Now, a brand-new tree might require support to become established. But that only lasts a short time. It’s important to remove stakes from any newly planted trees quickly to promote growth and proper tree health. Unless absolutely necessary, staking is a method that can harm trees in Edmonton.
3. Bad Pruning
Now, when it comes to properly caring for your trees, pruning is a necessity to enable better growth and more. However, you need to make sure that it’s being done right. If it’s done poorly, then it can cause permanent damage that can result in tree death and, potentially, property damage if the tree falls. That’s why it’s recommended that you seek out professional tree pruning services when it’s time for this necessary service.
Additionally, pruning is meant to be done at specific times of the year. The majority of Edmonton homeowners choose to prune their trees in the fall, but that can cause problems for the trees when winter comes. The tree might not be able to gather the needed nutrients to survive through the winter months as a result. Thus, our expert team recommends that you have your trees professionally pruned during the spring when they have ample access to nutrients. Knowing when to prune and trim will help prevent harming your trees in Edmonton.
4. Over-Mulching
It’s hard to believe that mulch can ever be disadvantageous and harm your tree. Edmonton homeowners like adding mulch to the bases of their trees due to the range of benefits, which include:
- Moisture Conservation: Adding mulch helps retain moisture in the soil. It’s especially important during hot summers because it can help prevent your tree from becoming dehydrated.
- Weed Control: One of the main benefits of mulch is that it can hinder the growth of weeds, which ensures that your trees don’t need to compete for much-needed nutrients.
- Helps Prevent Erosion: Mulch acts as a protective layer that can protect tree roots, prevent water run-off, and help with maintaining the health of the soil.
- Temperature Regulation: Mulch acts as an insulator, which helps keep soil cool during the summer and warm in winter. That’s essential for keeping trees happy and healthy.
- Enhances Fertility: If you choose organic mulch, it will decompose over time, which adds nutrients to the soil, promoting healthy tree growth.
However, there can be too much of a good thing. You want to be careful with the amount of mulch you add because too much mulch can cause problems for your trees’ continued health. For one, too much mulch that completely covers the roots can cause them to suffocate.
If you’re looking to add mulch at the base of a tree, make sure that the mulch doesn’t touch it. If you’re mulching a young tree, leave a gap of approximately six inches; whereas with a mature tree, the gap should be around a foot.
5. Other Plants and Trees
While it might be tempting to add a beautiful garden at the base of your tree, you want to be careful not to overcrowd the space. Remember that all plants and trees require a certain amount of nutrients, water, and sunlight to thrive properly. And if there are too many occupying the same area, they’ll compete for limited resources.
Although some plants might survive and thrive in this environment, many will eventually die. Think strategically when you’re considering your planting and landscaping options. One of the main factors that you want to take into account is the size of your trees, as well as how large they can potentially become.
Ensure You’re Not Harming Your Trees in Edmonton—Let’s Promote and Maintain Your Trees’ Health
If you want to properly maintain the health and well-being of your trees, it’s important to know what to avoid. When you’re looking at trimming or pruning your trees, it’s best to leave these services to the professionals at Trusty Tree Services.
Let’s stop the harm to trees in Edmonton today! Give us a call at 780-860-5500 or contact us online if it’s time for an expert tree assessment!