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Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd
In Trees in Winter

What Happens to Your Trees in Winter?

winter nature season trees

It’s common knowledge that during the winter months, trees become barer. What many people don’t know, however, is how trees are able to stay alive in the bitter cold and are in fact dormant, not dead.

Trees go through a process called dormancy which is similar to hibernation in animals and this is how they are able to stay alive.

What is Dormancy?

This is a period in the tree’s life cycle when its growth and development stop temporarily. The tree’s metabolism slows down significantly which in turn helps the tree to conserve more energy over the colder winter months.

The first part of this process is when the tree begins to lose its leaves. This is due to the tree not making food in the winter, so it no longer has any use for the leaves that would require energy to maintain. The dropping of leaves means deciduous trees can cope better with high winds and heavy snowfall because, without the leaves to act as big sail in the wind, the tree branches can bend and flex, hopefully without causing too much damage to them and the snow has a smaller area to land on.

Trees know when to start dormancy as they are sensitive to changes in environmental conditions such as a drop in temperature and a decrease in the amount of daylight they receive which are the two main factors that determine when a tree will rest for the winter.

Why is Winter a Good Time for Tree Maintenance?

Arborists are able to more easily access your trees with their tree care equipment when the ground surrounding your tree is frozen. Also, pruning deciduous trees in the winter promotes fast regrowth in the spring and decreases the chances for some tree diseases to spread. Pruning branches will leave your trees with open wounds that could possibly be a target for infections but as they conserve their energy in the winter, they have more energy available to concentrate on healing these wounds.

With deciduous trees, it’s also easier to identify any issues with the tree after the leaves have fallen. You’re more easily able to spot any branches that are diseased, dying or dead which means you will be more efficient with your pruning.

If you would like some tips or would like us to come and do the tree pruning then contact us on 0161 456 0989 or 01625 850 320.

How Can You Prepare Your Trees for Winter?

There are a few different ways you can prepare your trees for the cold to ensure they remain as healthy as possible. The first is to prune, as mentioned above, to give them a healthy start to winter.

Repeated freezing and thawing can cause the soil to expand and contract which can cause damage to the roots and pull saplings out of the ground. To counter this, make sure to try and maintain a more constant soil temperature by adding around 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the base of your tree at the end of autumn or the beginning of winter. This insulates the roots and significantly slows down any loss of moisture.

Make sure that you water your trees well before winter begins as the water acts as an insulator. Also, the moist soil tends to stay warmer than dry soil, so this can help to protect roots too.

You can find more methods on protecting your trees in the winter on the Royal Horticultural Society website here.

Get in Touch

If you need more advice on how best to protect your trees in the winter or what we can do to help then get in touch with our team on 0161 456 0989 or 01625 850 320.

Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd
In Summer Tree Safety

Summer Tree Safety with Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd

Hedge Cutting

Now that summertime is just about here, it is about time we looked at how to take care of your garden, trees and hedges safely throughout the warmer months.

As the British sun starts to beam down, occasionally, on your garden area, your trees and growths will start to come into leaf. This is the perfect time to give your trees a health check and include with this a clean-up of dead branches and broken leaves.

Dead Branches and Leaves

Over the winter your trees will have been battered by all weathers and in most cases, there will have been a lack of nutrition and damaged branches or branches prone to splintering. If this is the case, there is a severe danger for anyone in the area and even neighbouring properties due to the risk of collapsing and falling heavy branches.

Finding these branches and broken parts of the tree is so much easier when it starts coming up to spring and summer. The easiest way to identify these broken areas is by waiting until the rest of the tree starts to sprout new growth, and those damaged areas obviously won’t.

Our team are more than capable of spotting these dead areas of your tree and safely cutting them back to avoid fallen branches and poorly maintained trees. Get in touch for tree care, pruning, maintenances and protection that you can trust.

Top Signs to Look Out For

When it comes to inspecting trees on your property, there are some tell-tale signs to look out for in regards to damaged limbs and branches. Our team are able to come out and check any damage prone trees for you on site and provide you with quotes as to what services you may need to keep these as safe as possible.

Those trees that are more than likely going to be damaged in the run-up to summer include:

  • Aged trees
  • Trees with larger canopies
  • Trees that have large foliage and a larger leaf
  • Branches that are rubbing against each other on the same tree or neighbouring trees

Summer Tree Pruning

Summer tree pruning is really all about timing and when you choose to carry out the protection and maintenance work. It is so important to make sure that whatever work you carry out doesn’t hold any stress on the trees themselves.

As summer is a great time for a tree to be at peak health and not dormant, the replenished energy that the tree has will help it recover from coppicing and pruning. Our professional surgeons are able to work carefully with your trees in order to keep them healthy all year round and give each tree the chance to grow properly without further damaging it or the surrounding growth.

Benefits of Summer Pruning

There are so many benefits to pruning your trees in the summer, and the biggest is that it just overall looks better!

As well as having the best-looking trees on your street, you can sleep easy knowing your trees are free from danger, not a hazard to the public or other trees and that your trees are growing healthily all year round.

Pruning can also give way to new growth and reduce the stress on the surrounding trees in the fight for nutrition and light. All trees are living things and need the care they deserve all year round to grow properly without damaging their surroundings, so why not get in touch and start your journey today?

Get in Touch

To find out more or to arrange a site visit for tree care, call our team today on 0161 456 0989 or 01625 850 320.

 

Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd
In Spring Tree Surgery

Tree Surgery in Spring

Budding tree in spring

The first day of spring is less than one month away and caring for your trees really needs to be at the top of your priority list soon.

With the first day of spring falling on 20th March this year, its about time you got your tree care plans in place before its too late. Being a tree owner, you will already have certain procedures in place to keep your trees in good health all year round but Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd have some perfect tips to make caring for your trees in spring easier than ever before.

Keep Tidy

There are so many ways in which a tree owner can care for their trees in spring, but the most important in our eyes is keeping them tidy and their growth areas clean. Although many trees are low maintenance, it doesn’t mean that you can just leave to their own care as certain trees will need specialist assistance throughout the seasons.

Give your trees the clean-up they deserve to start a new season in style with trimming, coppicing and pruning services from our team. After the long winter that could have really damaged your tree’s structure and appearance, general pruning will spruce up your tree ready for a fresh season.

Don’t Forget to Mulch

Mulch is an amazing substance that a lot of tree owners forget about when it comes to repairing and getting their gardens ready for spring with tree management. The first initial layer of mulch under your trees will retain necessary moisture, supress weeds and is crucial in caring for younger trees.

There is no set in stone amount of mulch you should have but a fair layer of wood chips or mulch around the base of your trees is sure to protect and nurture them over time. It is important however to avoid piling the mulch up against the root and trunk of the tree as this can in time encourage growth of disease and warmth for insects to live in.

Feed Your Trees

Your trees will need to be well-watered throughout the whole of spring so its important to start now and set a routine to keep on top of it. It is important to wait until the ground is fully thawed to avoid running water and to keep an eye on the weather forecast as we can still get a lot of wet weather in Spring.

Watering your trees is a huge priority in caring for them properly but be careful not to drown them or leave puddles of water at the base and the roots.

Inspect for Pests and Diseases

Checking your trees for pests, disease and faults is important in the months coming up to spring. Being professional tree arborists, our team know exactly what we are looking for and can advise on the next steps to take to make sure that your tree is in good health all year round.

Inspect your trunk, roots, branches and growth for any potential health hazards or urgent work that needs carrying out. Start to fight back against pests in the warmer months and use professional spray treatments and get in touch with our team for more advice and services.

Planting in Spring

Starting to plant in spring is the best time to get on top of your garden and start shaping it how you want it to grow during the warmer months. Here at Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd in Manchester and Stockport we like to start planting new growth throughout the early stages of spring as the weather really gives the trees the best start in life.

Use spring time to clean out old trees that are no longer healthy and plant new trees ready for the summer months on the horizon.

Get in Touch

To find out more about specific tree species or your own garden in Manchester, call us on 0161 456 0989 or 01625 850 320.

Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd
In Tree Shapes

Learn About the Shape of Your Trees

About Weeping Trees

Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd would like to let all of our clients know more about their trees and learn about their shapes, habits and what to do with them.

As a qualified team or arborists and tree surgeons, we work with a wide variety of tree species every day in our roles. Operating through Manchester, Stockport and the surrounding areas, we often trim, cut, remove and plant a whole manner of species of trees and hedges in small domestic gardens and larger estates.

Identify Your Trees

Some of the trees we come across have a distinctive set of characteristics and markings to look out for. Whether you are looking from a distance or up close, the shape of the tree has a clear resemblance to its species and how you should care for it.

Tip – a silver birch can be identified by its tall, narrow shape with an airy crown as well.

Trees can also grow out of their normal shape and structure if they are not maintained well or cared for. When identifying trees, you really need to look out for signs of coppicing and management as this can significantly alter the shape of the tree over time.

Check Out the Bark

The bark on a tree is the corky outside layer that protects the inner structure of any tree. The living tissue within a tree trunk is protected from external diseases and attacks and the bark acts as somewhat shield against pests also.

Although many trees have a similar brown bark texture, all you need to do is look closer for ridges, impressions, flakes and patterns. The bark can also often change pattern from the base of the tree right up to the top so be sure to check the whole tree and not just the section in front of you.

Tip – a wild cherry tree will have a red or grey bark where a birch tree will have a whiter bark.

Analyse the Leaves

  • A simple leaf is common on most trees, where the leaf is whole in shape with one central vein. These appear on birch and apple trees most common and can often be mistaken for being heart shaped.
  • A compound leaf follows one central vein but are divided into few smaller leaves. These are often feather-shaped and are found on ash, sycamore and maple trees all over Manchester.
  • Other leaf shapes include round, triangular, long and thin and even egg-shaped.

You can also use the leaf margins, base and texture to identify which tree you may have in your back garden. It is known that elm trees have an asymmetrical base and that holly trees have prickly edges.

The Forestry Commission of England has pointed out in this article how to exactly decipher different trees and their leaves. Use the interaction options to click through and find what species your tree is.

The Common Conifer

Conifers are found in various domestic back gardens and is commonly known for its pine needles rather than flat leaves. Being part of the pine, fir, cypress and spruce family, most conifers hold their needles all year round.

Whether your conifer has needle like foliage or scale-like leaves, you can work with our team to get your tree properly maintained all year round so that your garden area can be enjoyable to look at rather than an eye sore.

Get in Touch

To find out more about the tree species in your garden, call Arboricultural Services Treework Ltd on 0161 456 0989.

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