Tree Trimming and Pruning

Trimming and limb pruning are essential aspects of tree services that help keep your trees healthy, strong and attractively shaped. Trimming may be necessary if tree limbs pose a threat hanging over power lines, a neighbor's property or a walkway, while pruning is needed to cut away dead or dying portions of a tree and to maintain a desirable shape. Knowing when and where to prune a tree, however, is crucial and should be done by a professional. Each cut to a tree is a wound that needs to be given the proper time to heal, and too many cuts or improperly made cuts can cause unnecessary harm. If you're considering pruning services for the trees at your Mill Creek, Mukilteo, Lake Stevens or Marysville home or business, call us for a quote.

Tree Cabling and Bracing

There are times when an otherwise healthy tree may need a little extra tender loving care due to a structural weakness. Perhaps you have a large-limbed oak with V-crotches that could result in a heavy limb coming down. In cases like these, anchoring flexible cables high in the tree or rods lower down to provide greater leverage can help reduce the likelihood of a tree failing. An annual inspection of the cabling system will also help ensure it is continuing to provide the support your tree needs. If you're concerned about the structural condition of a beloved tree, cabling and bracing can be an excellent alternative to tree removal.

Tree Removal

As much as you may love the trees on your property, there may be times when a tree or several may need to be removed. Heavy storms can uproot and take down large trees or leave them half fallen in precarious and threatening positions. A lightning strike can completely sever a tree. Poorly maintained or diseased trees may die on their own. While it's likely you can remove a small, ornamental tree on your own without difficulty or danger, you may need a professional for a larger tree. We have the equipment, appropriate safety gear and professionally trained crew to quickly and safely take down trees that pose a threat, and we can chip down the smaller limbs and branches on site. While on this subject, we would be remiss not to mention trees that are inherited on a property, those that are healthy but that you might not care for or which may block a desirable view. If you're interested in having such a tree or trees transplanted elsewhere on your property or have new trees planted, call us. We provide tree services in Mill Creek, Mukilteo, Lake Stevens and Marysville, and chances are we are working in your neighborhood right now.

Stump Grinding

If you have a tree service company cut down a tree, they won't be able to cut it flush to the ground. As a result, you'll need to decide what to do about the remaining unattractive stump. Left untouched, it can create a trip hazard. It's likely to sprout suckers, which you'll have to cut back on a regular basis. And it may attract pests such as carpenter ants. At minimum, it will be an inconvenience to continually have to mow around it. Often times, if the conditions around the base of your stump are amenable, stump grinding can be the perfect remedy.

The process is simple enough. When we grind a stump, we have one of our tree care experts manually roll the stump grinder to the remaining tree stump. Grinders such as these have a powerful blade that rotates as it rips into the wood and chews the stump away. As he works, the operator will bring the stump down to well below ground level. You'll then be left with a hole where the stump once occupied space. You'll also have a large pile of wood chips that can be used around your garden as mulch or which can be shoveled back into the hole to decay. You'll need to add new soil to the hole and seed on top, but in time, any signs of a former tree in the spot will be long gone. 

Stump Removal

While stump grinding is generally the more economical option, there may be times when removing a stump and the entire root system completely is the better option. This is often desirable if you wish to plant another tree in its place and the remaining roots of the previous tree pose a problem. If the tree involved is large, complete stump removal may require an excavator and a more labor intensive effort, which means the cost to remove it may be considerably higher. If you have a tree or trees on your property that you wish to have removed, call us for a consultation. We'll provide you with the best professional advice along with a quote for our services.