People search for how to trim a tree properly for two reasons: they want to know what the job involves, or they want to be sure the company they hire does it right. Either way, the answer is the same. Proper pruning follows the tree's own biology. It removes the right branches, makes each cut where the tree can seal it, takes only a modest share of the leaves, and avoids the season when a wound invites disease.
Tree Service Houston TX does not prune trees and does not send anyone out. It is a free phone line. Call (346) 680-8916 and you are put through to an independent, locally owned tree service company in the Houston area, which looks at the tree, quotes and does the work. Use this page to judge that work. It explains what a trained crew does, not how to do it yourself. Beyond snipping small twigs you can reach from the ground with hand pruners, pruning is a job for a professional.
The cut that matters most: just outside the branch collar
Look closely where a branch meets the trunk and you will see a slightly swollen ring of bark. That is the branch collar. According to the International Society of Arboriculture, a branch protection zone forms inside the collar that limits the spread of decay from the branch into the trunk, which is why correct pruning cuts are made just beyond it.
Two mistakes undo that protection. A flush cut shaves the branch off level with the trunk and removes the collar; trunk tissue above and below that kind of cut often dies, leaving a dead streak. A long stub goes the other way, leaving a peg the tree cannot close. After a job, walk around the tree. Good cuts look like neat, slightly raised rounds at the base of each removed branch, and over time a roll of new wood closes around them.
How a crew takes off a heavy limb: the three-cut method
A large branch cut once from the top will often peel a strip of bark down the trunk as it falls. Texas A&M Forest Service describes the staged approach a trained crew uses. It is described here so you can recognize it, not so you can try it.
- An undercut firstThe crew cuts partway up into the underside of the limb, a short distance out from where it attaches. This stops a tear from running back toward the trunk.
- A top cut farther outA second cut from the top, a little beyond the undercut, drops most of the limb's weight. Over a roof or fence, that piece may be lowered on a rope instead of dropped.
- A clean final cutThe short stub that remains is removed just outside the branch collar, without cutting into the collar or the ridge of bark above it.
How much to take off
Leaves feed the tree, so every live branch removed is a cost. The ISA's guidance for homeowners says generally no more than 25 percent of a crown should be removed at once, and less for mature trees. It also notes that removing a single large limb can be a big share of the canopy and leave a wound the tree may not be able to close. That is why a good company would rather make several small cuts than one huge one, and why it may suggest spreading corrective work over more than one visit.
The kind of pruning matters too. Crown cleaning removes dead, broken and diseased wood. Thinning removes some live branches to open a dense crown. Raising lifts the lowest branches for clearance. Reduction shortens the crown by cutting branches back to side branches big enough to take over, which the ISA puts at least one third the diameter of the cut stem. A written quote should name which of these the company plans.
- 25%ISA's general limit on crown removed at one time, less for mature trees
- 1/3Minimum size of the side branch a reduction cut goes back to, as a share of the cut stem's diameter
- Feb to JuneMonths Texas A&M Forest Service says not to prune or wound oaks
Young trees: structure now saves trouble later
The easiest pruning a tree will ever get is the pruning it gets while young. Texas A&M Forest Service advises keeping a single central leader growing upward on most young trees, and not cutting that leader back or letting side branches outgrow it. When a young tree forms two competing main stems, called codominant stems, it recommends removing or shortening one while the tree is small so the leader stays dominant.
It also suggests removing or shortening branches larger than half the trunk's diameter, because they compete with the leader and can be weakly attached, and building a framework of well-spaced scaffold branches. Trees pruned properly when they are young, the Forest Service says, need less corrective pruning as they grow. A newly planted live oak, red oak or elm in a Houston yard is a good candidate for light structural pruning while its branches are still small.
Live oaks and oak wilt: the timing rule
Oak wilt is a fungal disease that disables an oak's water-conducting system. Texas A&M Forest Service reports it confirmed in 76 Texas counties, and its prevention advice applies statewide.
Why spring is the risk
Red oaks killed by the disease can form spore mats under the bark. Sap-feeding beetles visit those mats and then fly to fresh wounds on other oaks, starting new infections. In live oaks, which grow vast connected root systems, the fungus can then move from tree to tree underground; the Texas Oak Wilt partnership puts the average spread through roots at about 75 feet a year.
What a careful company does
- Avoids pruning or wounding oaks from February through June
- Paints every fresh oak wound, at any time of year, with a thin coat of latex or pruning paint
- Paints wounds on oaks right away, not at the end of the day
- Handles storm damage that creates a hazard when it happens, and paints those cuts too
Never top a tree, and never "murder" a crape myrtle
Topping cuts branches back to stubs or to side branches too small to take over. The ISA calls it perhaps the most harmful pruning practice known. It can remove 50 to 100 percent of the leaf-bearing crown, triggering a flush of fast shoots that are weakly attached and prone to breaking in wind, while the large stubs seldom close and decay. If a tree is too big for its spot, a reduction or a removal and replanting is the honest fix.
Crape myrtles are common in Houston yards, and they are often cut back hard. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension calls topping them "crape murder" and says it delays blooms, creates weak limbs where the new growth sprouts and leaves knobby scars that get worse with each year it is repeated. AgriLife names late winter as the time to prune crape myrtles, and says the cuts usually needed are suckers growing from the base, crossed and rubbing branches, and limbs touching a roof or structure. If a crape myrtle is simply too tall for its spot, replacing it with a smaller variety beats topping it every year.
What you can safely do, and what to leave alone
Fine for a homeowner
- Snip small twigs and suckers you can reach with hand pruners while standing on the ground
- Walk around the tree and note dead limbs, cracks, and branches touching the roof or wires
- Take photos to describe the job on the call
- Ask the company to explain which cuts it will make and why
Leave it to a professional
- Anything that needs a ladder, a saw on a pole over your head, or a chainsaw
- Any branch thicker than a few fingers or heavier than you can hold
- Anything near a power line or the service wire to your house: stay away and call CenterPoint, or 911 if a line is down
- Large limbs over the roof, a fence, a car or a neighbor's yard
Hiring someone to prune
Texas does not license tree trimmers, so ask questions. A company that prunes properly will happily tell you where it plans to cut, how much of the crown will come off, whether it will paint oak wounds, and what happens to the brush. Ask for a certificate of insurance and the ISA certification number of the arborist making the decisions.
Check the company yourself. Texas has no state license for tree trimming or tree removal, so a business card proves very little. Ask the company for a certificate of general liability insurance sent by its insurance agent, proof of workers' compensation coverage, and the ISA certification number of its arborist. A company that sprays or injects trees for hire needs a pesticide license from the Texas Department of Agriculture or its Structural Pest Control Service. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).
Not sure what the tree needs? Call and describe it. The company you are put through to looks at the tree and tells you the price before any work starts.
How a pruning call works
- Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (346) 680-8916 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
- Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
- Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
- Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.
How this line works: Tree Service Houston TX is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Houston area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Houston TX a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.
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