ONLY PROFESSIONALS understand how plant material will respond to specific treatments. Timing depends on species and the desired result. Most routine pruning can be performed at any time of the year.

Crown Cleaning:
The removal of dead, dying, diseased, crowded, weakly attached, low vigor branches, and water sprouts from the tree canopy, shrub or hedge. Crown Cleaning and Thinning are the most popular APM maintenance procedures.

Crown Elevating:
Removes the lowermost branches of a tree in order to provide clearance for pedestrians, buildings, vehicles or vistas.

Crown Thinning and Restoration:
The selective removal of branches to increase light and air penetration/circulation throughout the canopy, or to lessen wind resistance and damage potential from storms. Thinning opens the foliage of a tree, reduces weight on heavy limbs, distributes ensuing invigoration throughout a tree and helps restore the tree’s natural shape.

Crown Reduction:
Thins or heads back branches to reduce tree height and/or spread of the tree canopy by pruning back leaders to lateral branches. In most trees (exceptions being most apples and some crabapples), this procedure is only done as a last resort instead of complete removal.

Reshaping or Shearing:
For hedges or evergreens where a formal, neat compact appearance is required. Should be started early in the life of a tree or hedge and repeated at least once per season for hedges and every two to three years for evergreens, for best results.

Tree Removal (Cutting to Grade):
Means to cut a tree or shrub as close to the ground as possible.

Structural Pruning:
Recommended to improve appearance, maintain space between other trees, buildings or power-lines.

Stump Grinding:
Our machines reduce stumps to woodchips to a maximum depth of 12" (30 cm) below grade. Large, surrounding roots close to the surface can also be cut, roots smaller than 4 - 5" (10 cm) must be removed using other means. Stump chips are usually left in place in a neat pile for later use as mulch, or can be placed under trees and shrubs directly, if requested.

When pruning trees, these are the only cuts that should be made: