Tree Trimming & Pruning in South Bend, IN

Tree trimming and pruning is the work that keeps a healthy tree from becoming a removal. Here in South Bend, that mostly means getting ready for two kinds of stress: summer wind from the storm lines that cross northern Indiana, and the weight of wet lake-effect snow and ice in winter. A limb that's long, heavy at the tip and hanging over a roof or driveway is the one most likely to break. Good pruning takes weight off those limbs, clears out dead wood and leaves the tree's natural shape intact.

What proper pruning looks like

The industry standard for pruning in the United States is ANSI A300. In practice it means cutting just outside the branch collar instead of flush with the trunk, removing branches back to a living lateral instead of leaving stubs, and taking only what the tree can handle in one season. ISA guidance generally warns against removing more than about a quarter of a mature tree's live crown at once. Topping, where a tree's main stems are cut back to stubs, is the opposite of good pruning: it causes weak, crowded regrowth and decay. South Bend's own forestry division publishes guidance on why topping hurts trees.

Oaks: prune them in winter

Purdue Extension reports that most northern Indiana counties have had at least one confirmed case of oak wilt. The fungus is fatal to red and black oaks, and sap beetles carry it to fresh wounds. Purdue's Landscape Report advises against pruning or wounding oaks from March through August where oak wilt is present and calls November through February the best window. We follow that schedule for oaks unless a limb is broken and has to be cut now, in which case the wound is treated as Purdue suggests.

Maples, lindens and other street trees

Silver maples grow fast and form long, heavy limbs with weak unions, so they benefit from regular end-weight reduction. Street trees such as maples, lindens and honeylocusts tend to need crown raising over sidewalks and streets and clearance away from houses. If a tree stands between the sidewalk and the curb inside city limits, it belongs to the homeowner to maintain, but South Bend requires a free permit before trimming it. We'll tell you at the estimate if that applies.

Wires and the service drop

Indiana Michigan Power trims around its own distribution lines. The wire from the pole to your house is a different matter: I&M says trimming trees near that service drop is the owner's responsibility and asks for a call to 800-311-4634 at least two business days ahead so it can disconnect the line. We plan the timing with you so that's done before we start.

When to prune other trees

For most deciduous trees, late winter is a good time: the branch structure is easy to see and cuts have the whole spring to start closing. Spring-flowering trees like crabapple and redbud are often pruned right after they bloom. Dead and broken wood can come out any time, and should, before it falls.