The scene
You sit at your kitchen table in Hot Springs. Two quotes rest on the wood. Both papers are for the same big oak tree in your front yard. You called two companies for a price. The oak is massive. The trunk is three feet wide. The tree drops dead branches on the grass. The lower limbs block your driveway. You want the tree fixed safely. You want to hire the right crew for the job.
The first paper has the words “trim oak”. The second piece of paper lists the exact branches and includes the words “crown clean and reduce”. You look at the tree outside your window. Tree trimming in Hot Springs AR comes with different kinds of estimates. Comparing quotes is hard. The word trim means different things to different people. A worker might climb your tree and cut whatever looks good to him at the time. Another crew might cut everything back to the trunk. You need a standard way to compare the estimates on your table. You can read our guide on how to compare trimming quotes.
A good estimate includes specific words for specific cuts. The tree industry has four main terms for removing branches. These words are clean, raise, thin, and reduce. These four words mean something specific. They outline what the crew will do in your yard. They define what leaves the tree and what remains on the trunk. Understanding these terms gives you a way to compare your quotes line by line.
Cleaning, what it removes and when
The first term you might see on your estimate is crown cleaning. This cut addresses the dead and failing parts of your tree. Trees Are Good states that cleaning is “the removal of dead, dying, diseased, weakly attached, and low-vigor branches from the crown of a tree.”
We look for limbs that have no leaves. We find branches that cross and rub together in the wind. The rubbing creates open wounds on the bark. Bugs enter the wounds. We cut those problem branches out of the canopy. The healthy branches stay in place.
When the crew finishes a crown cleaning, the tree keeps its original shape. The canopy just looks less cluttered. You will notice fewer dead sticks falling into your yard after a storm. Dead branches will not fall on your roof. Crown cleaning fits a specific problem. You need this cut when you have dead limbs hanging over your house. You need it when a storm cracks a branch high up in the oak.
You can schedule a crown cleaning at any time of year in Garland County. Dead wood is dead. Removing a dead limb in July causes no harm to the tree. Taking out a broken branch in December works perfectly. If your tree needs this service, we offer professional tree trimming and pruning.
Raising, what it removes and when
The next term on a professional quote is raising. This method deals with the bottom of the canopy. Trees Are Good explains that raising “removes the lower branches from a tree to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles, pedestrians, and vistas.”
You need raising when a limb blocks your driveway. You need this cut when branches hang too low over the sidewalk. Sometimes a tree grows down and touches the roof of your house. You might bump your head on a branch while walking to the mailbox. We cut those specific lower limbs back to the main trunk. This creates open space under the tree. People can walk under the canopy safely. Cars can park in the driveway freely. Our sweet gum tree trimming work uses this same raising cut to lift the low limbs over a patio or a drive.
Raising changes the look of the tree from the ground up. The trunk appears taller. The lowest leaves sit much higher in the air.
We prefer to do raising in the dormant window. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension points out that “In general, the ideal time to prune ornamental trees is just before rapid growth in the spring.” Making these cuts in late winter gives the tree time to heal. You can check our Hot Springs pruning calendar for the exact months.
Thinning, what it removes and what it must not become
Thinning addresses the density of the tree. A thick canopy catches the wind like a sail. A dense canopy catches wind during a heavy storm. The wind pushes hard against the branches. A strong wind can push a dense tree over completely.
Trees Are Good notes that “Reducing density of foliage at the crown periphery, thinning, is sometimes performed to increase wind or light penetration for aesthetic reasons and to promote interior foliage development.”
We remove select branches at the outside edge of the canopy. We take out weak growth. This lets the wind blow freely through the branches. The tree handles storms better. Light reaches the grass under the tree.
Thinning requires careful work. The crew must leave enough leaves on the inside of the tree. Penn State Extension explains that thinning “removes crowded, weakly attached, or low-vigor branches and sprouts at the crown periphery (formerly called ‘thinning’). Avoid lion-tailing where excessive removal of interior branches results in a concentration of growth and leaves at branch ends.”
Lion-tailing ruins the tree entirely. The branches become heavy at the tips. They break easily in the wind. A proper thinning leaves foliage evenly spread throughout the canopy. We schedule thinning during the dormant season in Garland County.
Reduction, what it removes and the rule for the cut
Sometimes a tree grows too large for its space. A limb might reach too close to a power drop. The branches might grow into the side of another tree. In these cases, the quote should include reduction. Power companies will cut your tree if it threatens the line. A planned reduction protects the tree.
Penn State Extension says this method “makes the tree smaller while maintaining its natural shape.” Trees Are Good adds that reduction “reduces the size of a tree, often for utility line clearance.”
Reduction takes the ends off the branches. This makes the whole canopy smaller. We only do this when a limb must clear something. Reduction requires a specific rule for the cut. We cannot just chop a branch in the middle.
Trees Are Good states that “Reducing a tree’s height or spread is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to secondary branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles (at least one-third the diameter of the cut stem).”
The cut must happen at a specific point on the branch. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension instructs, “Make sure you remove the limbs at the branch collar and make a nice clean cut.” Penn State Extension advises that “To promote quick closing of a pruning wound by callus, always use the precut method when removing a branch over 1 inch. This pruning method protects the branch collar and prevents tearing the bark.” We perform reduction only when necessary for clearance.
How much can come off in one visit
You might want to cut a tree back completely. You might ask the crew to take half the branches away. A good tree service will tell you no. Trees need leaves to make food. Leaves make the sugar the tree feeds on. Taking too much wood starves the plant.
The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension states, “Just make sure you don’t remove more than one third of the growth of the tree.”
We follow this limit on every single job. We limit the amount of wood we remove in a single year. If your tree needs heavy reduction, we might spread the work over two visits. We cut a portion this year. We return next winter to finish the plan. This keeps the tree healthy. A healthy tree heals its cuts faster. A healthy tree resists bugs and disease.
How we write our quote
Paul Clower has worked trees in Garland County for ten years. We approach every job with a clear plan. Paul looks at every tree before a cut. He looks at the target tree. He agrees on the drop zone and the access route with the owner. We show you exactly where the branches will fall. We mark the path our skid steer will take.
We write detailed quotes. We write down which of the four methods we are doing on a given tree. We list the limbs we will remove. We write down where each cut goes.
Clower Tree Service owns the equipment needed for the job. We bring our bucket truck, our chipper, our skid steer, and our mini skid steer. We arrive with our equipment trailer. Our crew of five people handles the work safely. We are bonded and insured. When a job needs an outside specialist, we bring one in. We want you to know exactly what to expect when our crew pulls into your driveway.
The two words that should not be on a quote
You might see other terms on your kitchen table. Two words should cause concern. If a quote lists topping or rounding over, you should throw that paper away. Topping leaves ugly bare stubs.
Trees Are Good defines the first bad term. “Topping is the indiscriminate cutting of tree branches to stubs or to lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role.”
Rounding over means cutting the tree into a ball shape. Both practices destroy the tree. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension warns, “Topping a tree is a practice that should NEVER be done to a tree you want to keep long-term. When you remove the entire top crown of a tree, you create internal decay in the tree.”
Decay leads to structural failure. The tree will grow fast, weak branches from the stubs. Those weak branches will break in the next heavy storm. You can read more about the two words in a quote that mean they will top. If a tree is too big for its space, it might require a complete take down. We offer professional tree removal for those situations.
Free estimates in Hot Springs and Garland County
We serve Hot Springs, Hot Springs Village, Garland County, and Malvern. We provide specific estimates for every property. Every estimate is free. Call us today at 501.538.1606 to schedule your visit.
You can email us at info@clowertrees.com. You can visit our office at 363 Kaufman Rd, Hot Springs, AR 71913. You can also request a free estimate through our website.
Before we arrive, decide which branches bother you the most. We will look at those exact limbs and write down the right words to fix them.