Tree Trimming & Pruning in Pittsburgh, PA

Good tree trimming and pruning removes the right branches and leaves the tree able to close its wounds. Bad trimming, such as topping a maple back to stubs, leaves dozens of weak sprouts and decay that will cost more to deal with in five years than the original job. We follow the ANSI A300 pruning standard that most of the tree care industry uses: cuts made just outside the branch collar, no topping, no flush cuts against the trunk, and no climbing spikes on a tree that is staying.

Why Pittsburgh trees need trimming

The region's common trees each have habits worth managing. Callery pears grow several upright leaders from one point, and those tight forks split under wet snow or wind; selectively removing competing leaders while the tree is young helps. Norway and red maples send long limbs over roofs and across alleys, and reducing their weight lowers the risk of a limb failing in a storm. London planetrees get very large over sidewalks. The city's own street tree plan recommended an eight-year routine pruning cycle for its trees, which gives a sense of how often mature trees in a yard should be looked at.

Timing around oak wilt

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that has been present in western Pennsylvania for years. Penn State Extension notes that the sap beetles and bark beetles that spread it are strongly attracted to fresh wounds and can arrive within 15 to 20 minutes of a cut. That is why we prune oaks from December through March whenever the work can wait. If an oak has to be cut in warm weather because of storm damage, Extension recommends covering the wounds with tree wound dressing right away; for other trees and other seasons, dressing is not needed.

Clearance work

Common reasons homeowners call: branches rubbing a roof or gutter, limbs low over a driveway or sidewalk, a canopy shading out a garden, or growth against a house where it holds moisture on siding. We raise or reduce the crown to clear these problems without stripping the tree. Branches near the service drop to your house or the primary lines on the pole are a separate matter; Duquesne Light manages vegetation near its lines and should be contacted about those.

City street trees

If the tree is in the City of Pittsburgh right-of-way, it is city property. Pruning it privately needs a tree work permit and supervision by an ISA Certified Arborist, and the city says improper pruning can carry penalties up to the cost of restoration pruning or mitigation for a lost tree. Pittsburgh has dealt with unauthorized pruning before; in 2011 severe pruning of street trees in Bloomfield, Garfield and Friendship was treated as vandalism. Ask Forestry first, and we will tell you if a tree looks like a city tree.