Tree Trimming & Pruning in Cleveland, OH

Tree trimming and pruning done well is mostly about restraint. The goal is to remove the wood that is dead, rubbing, too heavy or in the way, and leave the rest of the crown to feed the tree. In Cleveland the usual reasons are limbs over a roof or garage, branches scraping the side of a double, a low canopy over the driveway, dead wood hanging over the sidewalk, and long horizontal limbs that are likely to load up with lake-effect snow.

What good pruning looks like

The industry standard for tree pruning in the United States is ANSI A300. In practical terms it means cutting just outside the branch collar instead of flush to the trunk or leaving a stub, shortening a limb back to a side branch big enough to take over, and not stripping the inside of the crown so only tufts are left at the ends. Topping, which means cutting the main stems back to stubs, is the opposite: it produces weak, fast sprouts and decay. The City of Cleveland bans topping on its own trees, and its permit rules require public pruning to follow A300.

Getting ready for snow and storms

Hopkins averages about 64 inches of snow a year and much more falls in the East Side Snow Belt. Wet snow and ice are hardest on silver maples, Bradford pears and other trees with long limbs and tight V-shaped forks. Reduction cuts that shorten the heaviest ends, and thinning that lets wind pass through, lower the load before winter. Thinning the crown is also the usual first step before cabling a weak fork.

Timing around oak wilt

The Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture says oak sap beetles that spread oak wilt are active from early March to late July, peaking April through July, and calls November through February the safest time to prune oaks in Ohio. We schedule oak pruning in the dormant season unless a limb is broken or dangerous; in that case the wound is painted promptly to keep beetles off it. Most other trees can be pruned in late winter as well, when the branch structure is easy to see.

Wires and the tree lawn

Limbs touching a power line are for FirstEnergy's Illuminating Company or Cleveland Public Power, whichever serves your street. Trees in the tree lawn belong to the City's public tree program and need an Urban Forestry permit for pruning. We prune trees on your property and tell you when a limb is someone else's to handle.