Trimming and pruning that removes dead and hazardous wood, keeps branches off your roof and helps trees stay healthy and natural-looking, for homes and properties in Port Orchard and across Kitsap County.
Most trees don’t need to be removed. They need the right branches taken out. A good trim can remove dead wood that’s waiting to fall, lift limbs that scrape your roof or hang over your driveway, and reduce the weight a tree carries into winter storms. Done well, it leaves a tree safer and healthier without changing its natural shape.
Arborsmith Pro Tree Service provides tree trimming and pruning for homeowners and property owners in Port Orchard and throughout Kitsap County, including Bremerton, Silverdale, Manchester and nearby Gig Harbor. Estimates are free.
The two words are often used interchangeably, and most jobs involve some of both. Trimming usually refers to cutting branches back for clearance, shape or appearance. Pruning is focused on the tree itself: removing dead, damaged, diseased or poorly attached branches to improve its structure and long-term health.
Dead limbs don’t bend in the wind; they break. Removing dead, broken and storm-damaged branches reduces the chance of one falling on a roof, car or person.
Branches rubbing on shingles, filling gutters or hanging over the house can be cut back to give the structure room.
Low limbs over driveways, walkways and parking areas can be raised so people and vehicles can get through safely.
Trees that have outgrown their space can be thinned and reduced to relieve crowding without taking them out.
Thinning a dense canopy can reduce the load a tree carries in wind, and branches damaged in a storm can be cleaned up with proper cuts.
Many Kitsap Peninsula properties look out over water, mountains or open space. Careful limb removal and thinning can often open a view back up without removing the trees.
A tree doesn’t heal a wound the way skin does; it seals it off. A cut made in the right place, just outside the branch collar, gives the tree the best chance to close over the wound. Cuts made flush against the trunk, or long stubs left behind, make that much harder and can open the door to decay.
Topping, cutting off the top of a tree to reduce its height, is one of the most damaging things that can be done to a tree. It removes a large share of the canopy at once, and the new shoots that sprout from the cuts tend to be weakly attached and prone to breaking. Over-thinning, sometimes called lion-tailing, strips out the inner branches and can leave the remaining limbs more exposed to wind.
Good pruning removes what needs to come out and leaves a tree that is stronger and still looks like itself.
Much of the Kitsap Peninsula is covered in conifers such as Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock. On these trees, trimming usually focuses on removing dead branches, raising the lowest limbs for clearance, and shortening branches that reach toward a house or roof. Conifers generally don’t respond well to heavy cuts into the main canopy, and they should never be topped.
Broadleaf trees such as big-leaf maple, alder, cherry and fruit trees respond differently. Pruning a younger tree for good structure can reduce the chance of weak forks and oversized limbs later, while mature trees can be selectively thinned or reduced to manage their size and weight.
During your free estimate, point out the trees and branches you’re concerned about and what you want to accomplish, whether that’s clearance from the house, safer branches over the driveway or more light and view. On the day of the work, move vehicles and outdoor furniture away from the trees and keep kids and pets clear of the work area. Ask during your estimate about what will happen to the cut branches and debris.
If a tree is basically healthy but has a specific problem, such as a few dead limbs, branches over the house or a dense crown that catches wind, pruning can often fix the problem and keep the tree. Tree removal becomes the better option when a tree is dead, badly decayed, split or unstable, or simply can’t be kept safely where it is. If you’re weighing the two, we can talk through both during your free estimate.
For many trees, late winter while they’re dormant is a good time to prune. The branch structure is easy to see, and fresh cuts face less insect and disease pressure. Dead, broken or hazardous branches, though, should come off whenever they’re found. There’s no reason to wait for the season if a limb is hanging over your roof.
After a big windstorm, take a look from a safe distance at the trees nearest your house for cracked or hanging limbs. If one looks ready to fall, call (360) 590-8771; emergency tree service is available 24/7.
It depends on the tree, how fast it grows and what’s around it. Trees close to houses may need attention every few years to keep branches off the roof, while trees in open areas can go much longer. Dead or damaged branches should be dealt with when they appear.
Sometimes. If the problem is limited to certain branches, pruning may be enough. If the trunk or roots are badly damaged or decayed, removal is usually the safer choice.
It shouldn’t. Good pruning removes selected branches and keeps the tree’s natural shape. Topping and over-thinning are what leave trees looking stripped, and they’re harmful to the tree as well.
Yes. Cutting branches back from roofs, gutters and siding is one of the most common reasons people call for tree trimming.
If branches are touching or close to power lines, contact your electric utility. Work near energized lines requires special qualifications, and the utility may need to handle it or make the line safe first.
Estimates are free. For storm damage and other emergencies, call any time, 24/7.
Based in Port Orchard and serving Kitsap County, including:
Tell us which trees need attention and what you’d like to accomplish, whether that’s clearance, cleanup or opening a view. Call (360) 590-8771 or send a request for a free estimate.
Tree removal, tree trimming and pruning, stump grinding and 24/7 emergency tree service. Based in Port Orchard, serving Kitsap County and nearby communities.
