Preventative
VS
Reactive Tree Care
Trees are awe inspiring, period! My fascination with them is endless. Majestic, enduring even mysterious would be words I use to describe them. In fact there are still things we don’t know about them and our understanding of them continues to grow each day.
But there is something we definitely do know about Trees, and that is simply, that they do require regular maintenance. Especially so, in an urban environment. This brings me to a question I frequently get asked.
How often should I have an Arborist look at my trees?
The truth is, this question cannot be directly answered without specifically assessing a given tree. Every tree has a different set of needs. Some trees may need seasonal care, others may require less or more, but regular routine tree maintenance is key. All the tree maintenance we get contracted to do can generally be categorized in to two groups.
- REACTIVE TREE CARE
- PREVENTATIVE TREE CARE
Reactive tree care occurs after a tree has developed a serious problem. This often takes place in trees that have not been regularly maintained and are well into their maturity stage. Reactive tree care tends to be more invasive to a tree. Trees, like us, tend to be more “set in their ways” as they age, so symptoms such as largely overgrown or cracked limbs, heavy girdling roots, included bark or weak main unions become very difficult to correct. In addressing these issues, reactive tree care usually results in having to remove large portions of the tree and in many cases, unfortunately, equals the removal of an entire tree.
Trees, like us, tend to be more “set in their ways” as they age
Preventative tree care, on the other hand, is caring for your trees on a regular basis before a problem develops. Frequent tree maintenance means smaller less invasive cuts to the tree and promotes healthy, happy, long lived trees. It is important to implement a regular tree maintenance schedule as early into the life of a tree as possible. A skilled Arborist can spot and correct problematic growth before it develops and help trees to establish a well-balanced canopy. Routine preventative tree maintenance can also be more cost effective in the long run versus reactive large limb cutting or entire tree removal.
