Resources

Top Tree LLC is looking forward to being your best and only choice when looking for your tree care professional.  We have the experience and knowledge to make sure the job gets done right.

When researching how much to prune a tree, as little as possible is often the best rule of thumb. Pruning place stress on a tree and increase its vulnerability to disease. Never should you prune more than 25% of the crown and ensure that living branches compose at least 66% of the height of the tree.

By pruning too much, you can fatally damage your tree. In some cases, storm damage, height reduction to avoid crowding utility lines or even raising the crown to meet municipal bylaws, your choices are made for you. But even in these instances, prune as little as you can get away with.

If you’ve decided to do the pruning yourself, here is some advice on knowledge and tools. Advice regarding tools is pretty simple. Buy the best tools you can afford and keep them in good condition. Lately, a number of new and innovative tools have come on the market that are extremely useful to a homeowner.

• Rope Saws – A new and safe way to cut high tree limbs – pull the ropes to prune while standing on the ground.
• Pole Pruner & Lopper – A versatile pole pruner that can be attached to any standard-thread extension pole. Includes 14-inch pruning saw blade and 1-inch lopper.
• Folding Pruner – A versatile, folding pruning saw that can be attached to any universal extension pole for long reach. Lightweight and robust.
• Portable Buck Saws – Extremely lightweight and collapsible. Perfect for the homeowner, gardener, and camper.

After each tree you prune, remember to disinfect your pruning tools in a solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water followed by cleaning with soapy water and then drying. Tree diseases are easily spread by infected tools. Finally, if you’re not skilled in the use of tools like chainsaws or if the pruning job is more than you’re capable of managing, hire an expert. Safety first.

If you have multiple trees to remove or just don’t have the time to do it, we are here for you. We can tackle all of your tree removal needs and tree maintenance in the West Richland. We look forward to being your preferred tree removal service provider.

Top Tree LLC can help you manage any tree hazards you have on your property. We are some of the best arborists in the Tri-Cities and can either give you advice on how to manage your trees or perform any preventative maintenance you need.

Crapemyrtle is multi-stemmed tree that is quickly becoming more common in landscapes across the country. A true multiple season of interest plant, this genus is grown not only for its colorful, late blooming flowers but also for its showy bark and consistently beautiful fall color. The most common species is Lagerstroemia indica. Nurseries offer many cultivars and more are being developed all the time. There are sizes and shapes to fit any palette and flower colors from whites to reds, pink and purple and every shade in between.

Unfortunately, often little care is taken to select an appropriate cultivar for the site resulting in the wrong plant for the spot. A worthy smaller cultivar that is a favorite of mine is Lagerstroemia indica ‘Velma’s Royal Delight’. This cultivar is well suited to our shrinking urban landscape since its very compact; usually reaching only four to five feet high with an equal spread.

The foliage is a nice dark green with good mildew resistance and decent fall color. The flowers are a very nice magenta often covering the plant. Its bark is not as showy as some cultivars but still offers good winter interest. It also has excellent cold hardiness. Velma’s Royal Delight is a very good crapemyrtle to add to the urban tree list.

We look forward to helping you with all of your tree removal and tree trimming needs. When and if you have any questions about your trees, shrubs, or any other greenery on your property, we can help. We strive to be your only and best option for tree trimmers in Burbank.

Top Tree LLC can help you manage any tree hazards you have on your property. We are some of the best arborists in the Tri-Cities and can either give you advice on how to manage your trees or perform any preventative maintenance you need.

For arborists, the issues related to tree health and safety are the major concerns regarding ivy. Ivy can reduce tree stability and lead to failure for a number of reasons. Structural or flare roots are one of the most critical areas of a tree to inspect. If this area is obscured by ivy, no arborist can conduct a proper risk assessment of the tree, and critical information about tree stability cannot be determined. In addition, ivy adds considerable weight and wind resistance in a tree canopy.

Since ivy is evergreen, the added weight of rain, snow, or ice will accumulate on ivy-covered trees in winter. Mitigation: The best scenario for trees and the native environment is to eradicate ivy from the landscape. This can be achieved through hand removal, judicious use of herbicides, or ideally a combination of the two. If complete removal is not desired from an aesthetic or budget perspective, there are a few practices that can limit the negative impact of ivy on trees and the environment.

First, remove ivy from tree trunks, and pull ivy back at least 3 feet from the base of any tree. This will mitigate the weight, moisture, and wind resistance issues associated with ivy, and will leave the structural roots visible for inspection. In addition to tree trunks, whenever possible ivy should be prevented from climbing on any vertical surfaces such as walls or fences. Ivy only produces seed when it is growing vertically, so a well-maintained groundcover of ivy is far less likely to provide seed for an invasion of natural areas than ivy that is climbing up walls or trees.

Properly managed ivy may add aesthetic value to a landscape, however all too often this invasive weed is left to run amok, damaging ecosystems and leading to structural instability and unknown risk in large trees.

We look forward to helping you with all of your tree removal and tree trimming needs. When and if you have any questions about your trees, shrubs, or any other greenery on your property, we can help. We strive to be your only and best option for tree trimmers in West Richland.