Ask a Certified Arborist in Minneapolis & St. Paul

Questions about tree care, pruning protocol, disease pressures, bugs or employment opportunities? Vineland’s arborists lay out the answers and offer some options.

Q: Can I prune my trees in the winter?

Winter is an excellent time to prune trees. After leaves fall branch structure is more obvious and pruning can be more effective. Although in some winters with heavy snow cover it’s difficult to get a good clean-up job.

Q: When is the best time to prune my trees?

Lacking the proper technique, it doesn’t matter when you prune. Pruning timing is best established in consultation with an Arborist. We prune oaks only from November through March. Other trees have specific timing questions based on your goal in pruning.

Q: What is a collar cut? A flush cut?

Cutting a branch from a tree properly means leaving the parent branch or trunk on the tree. Usually that means leaving the swelling where the branch and trunk are interwoven, the collar, intact. A flush cut permanently removes the swelling and eliminates the trunk’s natural ability to close over the wound.

Q: Will you need to bring heavy equipment on to my lawn?

Vineland goes above and beyond to ensure your lawn is safe and protected. In most cases, we don’t need to bring heavy equipment onto the lawn. When necessary, we use cranes to lift logs and brush to the street or other landing areas, preventing any equipment from being on the lawn. However, when needed to finish the job, stump grinders and small turf-tired loaders do need to cross lawns. In these cases we use plywood or other materials to protect the lawn from truck tires.

Q: So I should call you to prune once my trees are big?

We do large trees the most benefit by pruning them when they are small. Usually, when an enormous limb comes crashing down in a storm, the best way to have avoided it was to prune it off with a small hand pruner when the tree was young. Many limbs lost to storm damage were entirely predictable.

Q: How can you tell which branch is dead?

Many signals of branch health are apparent in the fall and winter months. Branches lacking any bark are the most obviously dead. Branches with loose bark can be dead or perhaps dying. Branches without the small twigs on the end can be dead, or the branch may be a live stub in which case it should probably be removed. Branches without buds on the ends of the twigs are dead. The least obvious sign of a dead branch is a branch with buds that are dead, dry or under developed. Dead buds on some tree varieties in the Midwest, such as locust, are even frustrating for experienced arborists to determine. To further complicate matters branches with leaves on in the winter (such as Norway Maples) can be newly dead.

Q: What is the difference between pruning and trimming trees?

Q: What is the process to hiring Vineland?

The process of hiring our team to work on your trees is simple: Contact us.

trees@vinelandtree.com
612-872-0205

One of our arborists will reach out to you to discuss the tree care you are looking for, and to schedule a consultation.

Our arborists will conduct a consultation, resulting in a proposal. This proposal outlines the exact work to be done, and the price for each service item.

Once you have approved the proposal, we will schedule your trees for service!

Vineland Tree Care offers full tree service for both residential and commercial properties in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs. We would love to work with you!

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From questions to estimate requests, contact us about your residential or commercial project.