Basically, some sources will tell you to knock the snow off with a broom to prevent more damage. Others will say NOT to do that because you risk causing more damage. The truth is: once the snow is over, the damage is done. You can’t undo it, but you can indeed make it worse of you aren’t careful. Usually – except in cases where big branches are actually broken – the damage is not nearly as bad as it looks. If you can just be patient and wait until the snow or ice melts naturally, you are likely to be AMAZED at how well the branches eventually recover their positions. After that, you will also be amazed at how I can restore the tree with a few expertly administered pruning cuts. Go to Fe
Mr. B told me he had concerns about his big silver maple. It had a big leader that grew toward his house, and another over the neighbor’s yard. He wondered if we could make it less threatening. He even asked if I’d suggest topping it. I went to see the tree, and his neighborhood was marred with many examples of bad pruning, like this “topped” silver maple a few houses away. Topped silver maple – DON’T DO THIS Maybe that’s where he got the “topping” idea. Anyway, I explained to him why topping would be counterproductive to his goal of keeping the tree safe and healthy. (see April 2, 2010 if you want to read more about THAT). Then I described how I could reduce those leaders by 25% without m
Back in October, we were at a client’s property in Oaks, PA to do some tree pruning when I noticed something odd. A surface root from one of her trees had been chopped at with an axe where it grew onto the neighbor’s property. Nothing unusual there, I’m used to seeing roots cut by people who object to their presence on the lawn surface. But there were several little white balls lying on and around the cut root. What were they? They looked like moth balls. I picked one up and smelled it. Chlorine. Someone had spilled a little pile of pool chemical tablets. Then I noticed something else: two pieces of copper tubing had been hammered into the root. THAT wasn’t an accident. The chopped
