Tree Care

Planting and caring for trees can seem like a daunting task, but Community Forestry is here to help. Find resources, tips and instructions to ensure your trees are healthy and thriving.

Contact a licensed tree service to assist you with your tree pruning and planting:

TREE SERVICE LISTINGS

man trimming tree

Pruning Trees

There are important things to remember when pruning your trees:

  • Use the 1/3 and 1/4 rules of pruning:
    Never remove more than 1/4 of a tree's crown each season
    Main side branches should be a 1/3 smaller than the diameter of the trunk
    For most deciduous trees, don't prune up from the bottom any more than 1/3 of the tree's total height
  • For most species, the tree should have a single trunk.
  • Keep tools sharp: one-hand pruning shears with curved blades work best on young trees.
  • For high branches use a pole pruner.
  • For larger trees, pruning should be done by a professional arborist.
  • For large branches, cut outside the branch bark and ridge collar and do not leave a protruding stub.

For more detailed information, you can download this PDF.

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Planting a Tree

There is a perfect time to plant a tree and the perfect place to plant one in every yard.

Ideally, trees should be planted during the dormant season - in the fall after leaf drop or in early spring before bud break. Weather conditions should be cool to allow plants to establish roots in new locations before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth.

You can get additional, more detailed information in this downloadable PDF.

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