Keeping the trees and shrubs on your commercial property looking and functioning their best is important not only for aesthetic appeal and value but also for safety and security. Damaged and overgrown trees and shrubs can pose problems and create liability issues.
Maintaining regular tree pruning schedules helps ensure that problems are spotted early, before they become significant. Regular pruning can also help prevent many issues. Pruning involves removing dead, damaged, or diseased branches.
But it can also involve shaping for size and structure.
Jump to Section
- What Are the Signs of Damaged Trees?
- What To Do If Your Trees Look Damaged
- Other Signs It’s Time to Prune
- What's The Right Time of Year to Prune Trees & Shrubs?
- Choosing Commercial Landscape Maintenance in Chicago
Of course, even when best practices are followed, corrective pruning issues can arise. Spotting signs of tree damage and recognizing overgrown shrubs that might be problematic is essential for maintaining your commercial property in optimal shape.
This is one of the main reasons why regular site inspections by a professional are so valuable. Spotting potential problems early can prevent serious accidents.
In this article, we’ll discuss the signs that it’s time to prune. We want to help you keep your commercial property looking and performing its best.
What Are the Signs of Damaged Trees?
Spotting signs of tree damage is important as they can become more serious or even dangerous. Here are a few signs that trouble may be brewing. Corrective pruning could be part of the proper solution.
Broken or hanging limbs. This can occur due to storm damage from wind or lightning. But internal weaknesses can also lead to branches breaking. It’s important to spot this before they fall. Broken or hanging limbs should be carefully removed.
Fungal growth on the bark. This can be a sign of disease. While some fungi on the trunk itself can be harmless, other types can be more serious and indicative of a wider spread problem.
Leaf problems. Tree diseases can also show up as problems (like spots) on leaves or premature leaf drop. Any time that you see signs of a disease, it’s important to talk to your commercial landscape maintenance company about the best course of action. This might involve pruning away diseased branches and likely might also include some type of fungicide application.
What To Do If Your Trees Look Damaged
If you notice signs of tree damage, it’s essential to contact your account manager so that corrective pruning or other solutions can be implemented. We understand that issues can arise outside of the timing of site inspections.
If there’s any question about the safety or stability of your trees, it’s important to get ahead of them to prevent more serious problems.
Other Signs It’s Time to Prune
Signs of tree damage can be an indicator that corrective pruning may be necessary. However, there are other situations where pruning needs arise. Here are a few that we commonly see.
Overgrown shrubs. Overgrowth can be a problem not just because it’s less aesthetically appealing, but also because it can spill into walkways or driveways. We look for trees and shrubs that are losing their shape and need to be pruned. However, we’re also examining whether this overgrowth is becoming a problem.
Growth that blocks windows or lights. Any tree branches or overgrown shrubs that start to block building windows or exterior lights also require corrective pruning. This is a big issue on commercial properties. You also want to make sure that growth isn’t blocking any important signage.
Branches rubbing against structures. Branches that are rubbing against siding, growing into gutters, or rubbing against the HVAC also require speedy removal.
What's The Right Time of Year to Prune Trees & Shrubs?
Regularly scheduled pruning, following a tree pruning schedule, is typically performed in June and then again in August or September. Regular pruning can help prevent many problems while also maintaining the overall health and beauty of your trees.
But corrective pruning to address issues (like overgrowth rubbing on a building), is a corrective measure performed as a one-off type of service.
Corrective pruning needs are typically identified during a proactive site inspection, where potential problems are identified and addressed.
If any of the scenarios mentioned above (such as growth-blocking lights or branches rubbing against structures) are discovered during a site inspection, you want these issues corrected promptly.
Choosing Commercial Landscape Maintenance in Chicago
When you work with a proactive company, signs of tree damage or other signs it’s time to prune should be spotted early. This is incredibly valuable when it comes to maintaining the integrity of your landscape.
At KD Landscape, we maintain a constant eye on your property during our routine visits. This will give you peace of mind that issues will be identified and swiftly addressed.
There are multiple layers of professional oversight involved. This includes the crews’ and operation managers doing their weekly visits, as well as an account manager performing quarterly site visits.
With a combination of team members keeping an eye on your trees, problems can be caught and addressed before they become serious.
Want to learn more about KD Landscape’s commercial landscape maintenance in Chicagoland? Get started today with an on-site consultation. We’ll review your options together so you can make a great choice.
