Tree Trimming & Pruning in Lawton, OK

Tree trimming and pruning in Lawton is mostly about getting ahead of the weather. A well-pruned elm, oak or pecan carries ice better, lets wind pass through and drops fewer limbs on the roof. A tree that has been topped or stripped of its inner branches does the opposite. We prune for structure and health first, and for clearance and looks second.

What good pruning removes

• Dead wood. After a dry summer, oaks and elms often carry dead limbs in the upper crown. Those break first in wind and ice.
• Weak forks. Tight V-shaped unions with bark pinched between them are where Bradford pears and many elms split. On younger trees, one stem can be shortened so the other becomes the leader.
• Crossing and rubbing limbs. Branches that rub open wounds that let decay in.
• Excess weight on long limbs. Reducing the end weight of a long horizontal limb lowers the leverage that ice puts on it.

What we will not do

We do not top trees. Cutting the main stems back to stubs leaves big wounds that decay, and the tree answers with a crowd of fast, weakly attached sprouts that become a hazard in a few years. We also avoid removing all the small inner branches, sometimes called lion-tailing, because it pushes weight to the ends of limbs. When a tree is too big for the space, a reduction cut back to a healthy lateral branch is the right tool, or the honest answer is that the tree should be replaced.

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Timing in Southwest Oklahoma

Late winter, before buds break, is a good window for structural pruning on most shade trees. Leaves are off, so the branch structure is easy to see, and the tree begins closing wounds as soon as spring growth starts. That timing also gets the work done before spring wind and storm season. Deadwood and broken limbs can come out any time. Heavy pruning during a hot, dry spell in July or August adds stress the tree does not need, so we keep summer work light unless something is hanging or broken.

Clearance work

Common reasons people call for trimming in Lawton include limbs scraping shingles, branches over the driveway catching on trucks, and low limbs over sidewalks or the street. We raise the crown by removing lower limbs at the branch collar, keeping enough foliage on the lower trunk for the tree to stay healthy. For limbs near the line running to your house, we will tell you whether the utility needs to be involved first. Branches near primary distribution lines are for the utility's crews.

Young trees

The cheapest pruning a tree will ever get is when it is young. A few cuts on a five-year-old Bradford pear or red maple to pick one central leader and space the main branches can save a costly split later. If you have planted trees in the last few years, ask us to look at them while we are there.