Far too often, residents on the South Shore treat tree care as something to do reactively rather than proactively. Regular tree care, especially maintenance pruning, can actually save you money in the long run compared to always playing catchup with your tree care.
In this article, we’ll examine what maintenance pruning is, how it protects your trees from storm damage, and how damaging storms can really be on the South Shore.
PRO TIP: Want to learn more about the importance of regular tree pruning? Check out some of our previous articles on the topic:
Key Takeaways
- Maintenance pruning focuses on removing branches that grow too close together, clearing the canopy of dead or diseased material, decreasing the overall size of the canopy, and helping a tree recover from poor pruning cuts.
- From 2020 to 2022, the United States faced 60 storms that led to at least $1 billion in damages.
- South Shore homeowners must contend with summer storms and hurricanes as well as Nor’easters in the fall and winter.
- Pruning weak or broken branches can reduce the risk of breakage during a storm and broken windows or damaged structures.
- A study from the International Society of Arboriculture demonstrated that pruned trees have a lower chance of failing in a storm than trees that have not had their canopy thinned or reduced.
Maintenance Pruning for Your South Shore Trees
Maintenance pruning is a broad term that encompasses many different aspects of pruning. In general, maintenance pruning is something a tree care company does at a regular interval (typically once every three to five years) as a preventive measure rather than reacting to an obvious threat. Some of the aspects of maintenance pruning include:
- Remove branches growing close together: Sometimes, trees that have not been regularly pruned will have two branches growing too close to each other. These branches can rub together as they compete for space, weakening both and opening them up for an infectious disease.
- Cleaning the canopy: Cleaning the canopy involves removing dead, diseased, or damaged branches from a tree. These branches are prone to breaking in storms and are a source of stress for trees.
- Canopy (Crown) raising: Crown raising, or clearance pruning, is the process of removing lower branches from a tree to allow for better walkability under it. Only perform clearance pruning as much as necessary, as raising the canopy too much can cause problems for your trees.
- Canopy reduction: Canopy reduction seeks to decrease a tree’s height and overall size by shortening limbs. Homeowners often have this done if a tree is growing too close to power lines or structures.
- Restoring the canopy: Pruning is great for a tree, but when it’s done improperly it can do more harm than good. Restoring the canopy seeks to correct these previous pruning mistakes and bring a tree back to proper health. It may take several seasons of restorative pruning before a tree is entirely back to normal. You should always hire a professional to prune your trees because of the dangers of DIY tree pruning.
Storm Damage on the South Shore of Massachusetts
Living on the South Shore has its benefits, but one of the biggest drawbacks of the area is the frequent severe weather we experience. Fixing the damage from a storm can be costly and time-consuming. The NOAA Office for Coastal Management estimates that between 2020 and 2022, the country experienced 60 storms that caused at least $1 billion in damages.
The two biggest threats on the South Shore are summer storms (which sometimes stem from hurricanes) and Nor’easters. Summer storms can bring high winds and rain that break branches and topple trees into structures.
Nor’easters are incredibly damaging storms that can strike anywhere between September and April. Damaging Nor’easters are a frequent concern for homeowners on the South Shore, as they occur somewhat frequently. The most recent notable Nor’easters were in April of 2024 and October 2021.
How Maintenance Pruning Can Save You Money on Tree Care
Often people think, “Professional pruning just isn’t worth the money.” Then, a storm hits and they find themselves paying more money to repair the damage and wishing they had hired a professional to prune their trees to prevent some of that damage. Some of the primary benefits of maintenance pruning include saving you money from structure damage or having to remove your damaged trees.
WARNING: Even with pruning, no tree can be made 100 percent safe. Always use caution around a tree before, during, or after a storm, as broken branches and falling trees can cause serious injuries or death.
Lowering the Risk of Broken Branches and Structure Damage
Maintenance pruning seeks to remove any dead or weak branches that a tree can’t support and that risk breaking during a storm. High winds can send these branches flying and cause them to break windows, damage structures, or break portions of a fence.
Lowering the Chance You’ll Have to Remove Your Tree
Maintenance pruning can reduce a tree’s profile with crown thinning and reduction. A study from the International Society of Arboriculture tested how pruning affects tree movement during a storm. The researchers found trees with thinned or reduced canopies had significantly lower movement at all wind speeds. Raising the crown did not affect the wind speed.
So, what does this mean for your trees? Trees with less movement in the wind are less likely to fail during a storm and uproot. Removing a fallen tree can be an expensive process, and cleaning up the debris and damage can add to the cost. Save yourself money by regularly pruning your trees to lower the risk of uprooting.
PRO TIP: Are you worried about how safe your trees are? The team at Top Notch Tree can conduct a tree risk assessment to help you understand if your trees are at risk of causing damage.
Maintenance Pruning Can Lower the Risk of Insect and Disease Problems
Removing diseased branches on a tree and properly disposing of them can reduce the risk of a disease spreading to other parts of a tree or to nearby trees. Treating heavily infected trees or removing dead trees can become expensive quickly, so think of pruning as an opportunity to avoid paying for a full-blown tree removal.
Top Notch Tree Can Help Protect Your Trees with Maintenance Pruning
Maintenance pruning not only makes your trees look nicer but also makes them safer and more resilient when summer storms and Nor’easters strike the South Shore. Paying money today for pruning can save you money tomorrow when an at-risk tree falls on your house or car.
At Top Notch Tree, we can prune your trees and prepare them for the natural disasters we face on the South Shore. Call us today at 781-871-8008 or request an estimate online to help your trees stand up to the elements and save you money on expensive removals.
