Pruning and tree care

Most trees do not need to come down. They need the dead wood out, weight taken off a long limb, clearance from the roof, or a second opinion from someone who reads trees for a living. This is the work that keeps a good tree standing for years to come.

Which tree care service fits your tree?

Match what you see on the tree to the service in the table: trimming for an overgrown crown, dead wooding for dead branches, cabling for split forks, a consultation if you are unsure, root barriers for roots, and clearance for branches near a building or service line.

Many visits end up as a mix: prune the crown, take out the dead wood and clear the roof in one trip. The arborist puts all of it on one estimate, and the estimate is free.

When should trees be pruned in Northern Nevada?

Hazards and dead wood can come out at any time of year. For everything else, we prune when the tree is dormant: late winter for most deciduous trees, and early spring and summer for most conifers. See the best time to prune trees in Northern Nevada for the reasoning by tree type.

The valley floors here get roughly 4 to 10 inches of precipitation a year, so nearly every shade tree in town lives on irrigation. A tree that is short of water recovers slowly from heavy cuts, which is one reason our arborists prune with a plan instead of a quota.

What good pruning looks like

• Cuts made at the branch collar, so the tree can close the wound
• Dead, broken and rubbing branches removed first
• Weight taken off long limbs instead of stripping the inside of the crown
• The top left alone: topping is not pruning, and we will explain why if you ask
• Branches chipped or hauled, and the debris removed when the crew leaves

If a tree cannot be made sound by pruning or support, the arborist will say so plainly and talk through removal with you. No one can promise that a tree will never fail, and we will not tell you one is safe. What we can do is find the defects and reduce the risk.

Who does the work

Battle Born Tree Service has two ISA Certified Arborists on staff, including ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A, and a crew with more than 40 years of combined knowledge. A certified arborist assesses every job before work begins. For tall trees the crew brings our 75-foot Altec boom truck, so pruning cuts high in the crown are made from a stable bucket.