We’ve all had a look at something and thought, “Yeah… I can give it a crack.” And after multiple wasted hours, money down the drain and high frustration levels, we decide it’s time to call a professional with the right tools and know-how. Tree pruning is in that category of jobs which you should always leave to a professional and spare yourself the heartache of trying to do it yourself.
We know what you’re thinking: but it looks easy enough? While it does seem pretty simple, there’s a number of reasons why you can’t grab your chainsaw and start lopping off branches in your backyard. Here’s why it’s never a DIY job:
It can be dangerous
First and foremost: safety. Take a look at all the dangerous elements involved in tree pruning. You’ve got heights, chainsaws, manual labour and falling objects which is enough to make any clear-thinking person run for the hills. Another hazard which isn’t so obvious lies in ladder placement and branch selection. Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell between a healthy branch and a rotten one. If you were to place a ladder on a rotten branch, and add your weight to the ladder, it could easily snap. Professional arborists have the right skills and knowledge to safely prune your trees, so that you don’t get seriously injured.
It can damage your tree if not done correctly
As surprising as it sounds, tree pruning isn’t as simple as lopping of a branch here and there. Trees require consistent, expert pruning in order to flourish. If your tree hasn’t been regularly pruned up until now, it’ll need the expertise of an arborist to successfully prune it. Otherwise, you could risk severely weakening it, rather than helping it grow.
You may not have the right tools
One of the mistakes we often see with DIY pruning is using a tool that doesn’t cut it, if you’ll pardon the pun. You can’t just go to the shed, whip out a handsaw or pair of clippers that haven’t been used in a few years and then start pruning: if these instruments are blunt, you risk weakening the tree. Each cut needs to be clean, using sharp and sanitised tools. Failing to sanitise the tools in the correct manner risks transferring soil-borne diseases to the tree.
Don’t risk your safety, your property and your trees just to save a buck on a tree pruning. A professional arborist team like Heritage Tree Surgeons are always the best option. Heritage Tree Surgeons are one of Perth’s leading arborists, specialising in pruning, tree removal, stump removal and more. Call the pros at Heritage Tree Surgeons today – your trees will thank you later.