It's not always easy to tell when it's time to have your trees trimmed, but there are a few signs to look out for. If your tree has gotten large enough that it's starting to touch your house, leaning to one side, or losing branches, it's time to call for professional assistance.

Tree is Touching Side of House

While trees can add a lot of aesthetic value to your house, they should be a safe distance away. If you notice that your tree's branches or leaves are starting to brush against the roof or side of your house, your tree needs to be trimmed.

Trees touching your house can cause several problems. First, pests can use the tree branches to access your home, bypassing any preventative pest treatments you may be using. Second, leaves and branches can damage your roofing material, potentially causing enough damage to wear down the material and damage its weatherproof seal. Third, if the branch or branches breaks or falls, it will probably cause more damage to your house.

Ideally, trees need to be trimmed before they come close to touching your house, but if any branches or leaves are touching your home, it's a good idea to have your tree trimmed as soon as possible.

Tree is Leaning

Branches and leaves are heavy, and if a tree is growing branches unevenly, the weight distribution can cause the whole tree to lean in one direction. Regular trimming is important not just for keeping your trees looking good, but for making sure their growth is managed as they get bigger.

A slight lean isn't often a big problem, but if your tree is starting to lean, a professional can come examine your tree and make recommendations. Trimming will often be necessary, and depending on how bad the leaning is, it may need to be corrected. The good news is a leaning tree can often be fixed without harming your tree.

Breaking or Dead Branches

Branches can start to break off for a few reasons. They can break and fall under their own weight, they can become brittle and snap, and some fall off because of "sudden branch drop syndrome," where a branch will seem to fall for seemingly inexplicable reasons.

It can also happen when branches die, which often occurs when your tree is suffering from a pest infestation or a disease. If your tree is infested or infected, having dead or damaged branches trimmed away is a must; otherwise they will fall on their own and potentially cause damage or injury.

Trimming a diseased or infested tree is as much a proactive measure as it is a reactive one. Cutting off these branches can stop the spread of pests and disease and keep your tree healthy. Other treatment may be required, but having your tree trimmed is one of the best ways to keep branches from falling or breaking.

If you are unhappy with your trees in any way, talk to a tree trimming service to get more advice on how to fix the issues.   

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