Are Trees Overpowering Your Landscape? Keep Your Property Safe And Make The Most of Your Pool, Gardens And Walkways by Maintaining Your Trees

Huntingdon Valley, PA (PRWEB) July 14, 2008 -- It's summer and time to enjoy your landscape. It's also a time when trees in full leaf can overpower your landscape and pose a safety hazard.

"Trees that looked fine through the winter and spring can suddenly overwhelm your landscape by summer," says Lou Giroud, President of Giroud Tree Service and ISA Certified Arborist. Towering over your pool or patio, trees in full leaf can darken your leisure time. Flowers and other understory plants can struggle from lack of sun. Low hanging branches and encroaching roots can make walkways and driveways an obstacle course. From a safety standpoint, trees with structural weaknesses like cracked limbs or trunks are most likely to break or fall when the next storm hits.

"There are several ways you can help your trees work in harmony with your landscape and reduce the potential for storm damage, explains Mr. Giroud. "The key is to identify the specific goal you want to achieve. Homeowners should contact their Certified Arborist to evaluate the situation and recommend the best action which can include:"

1. Train your trees to live in harmony with your landscape

Thin crowns to allow more light on pools, patios or gardens. Train tree to grow in a better direction by pruning branches growing the wrong way back to lateral branches that are growing in right direction. Eliminate or prune lower branches of trees hanging over driveways and walks Prune roots that are cracking or lifting walks and driveways while ensuring the tree has a sufficient root system to remain stable and healthy.

2. Improve safety:

Remove dead, rotted and weakly attached limbs. Thin the crown to reduce wind resistance, weight and the likelihood of breakage. Install Cables or Bolts to secure weakly attached limbs or trees with multiple trunks: Your Arborist needs to select the best hardware and placement for your specific situation.

3. Remove trees that pose a safety hazard or can't be adapted to the space. For trees that are simply in the wrong place, the best solution might be removal and replacement with a tree that is better suited to the location. Trees with conditions that pose a danger to your property such as dead trees, unstable root systems or structural defects that can not be repaired or treated must be removed. These conditions make trees most vulnerable to damage from storms.

A tree's health is fragile and overzealous pruning can be harmful or even fatal." cautions Mr. Giroud. "To protect the safety and health of your trees, your Arborist should never top a tree or in most cases remove more than 30% of a tree's crown. You can ensure your trees live a long, healthy life in harmony with your landscape by hiring an ISA Certified Arborist to monitor and care for your trees."

About Giroud Tree Service

Giroud Tree Service has been dedicated to keeping trees healthy and customers happy since 1974. Serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, the company specializes in property inspections, diagnosis and testing, tree and shrub care, insect and disease control, tick control, deer repellent, brush clearing, fertilizing, and tree and stump removal. Giroud arborists are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and have the knowledge and experience required to successfully diagnose, treat and maintain the health of your trees. The company was awarded Angie's Super Service Award® in 2005, 2006 and 2007, as well as the Consumers' checkbook top rating for quality. The "Giroud Tree work for Charity" program donates free tree care services to parks, historical sites and other non-profit organizations located in the Company's service area. For more information, visit their website at www.giroudtree.com or call them at 215-682-7704.

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