There are many benefits to having trees in the yard with it comes to your home. Arborists and roofing contractors alike recommend pruning your trees on a regular basis to avoid issues. Industry Elite Services knows the importance of pruning to avoid damage that would require a roof replacement.

How trees help avoid roof replacement

Trees offer your home shade and enhance its beauty. They can even offer shingles protection, under the right circumstances. Trees benefit roofs by:

• Blocking the wind: Mature trees that are upwind of the roof can block a great deal of wind, reducing its effect on your shingles, especially during severe windstorms.
• Providing ultraviolet (UV) ray protection: Trees may also shade your roof. Shorter trees may only shade your roof in the early hours of the morning or late in the evening. Any shade can help reduce the effect of UV light on your asphalt shingles. Over time, UV light shortens the life span of most roofing materials.
• Moderating summer temperature: In summer, the shade the tree provides will also help reduce the temperature in your home. Roofing shingles absorb heat from the sun and can radiate that heat back into your home at night.

Why Should You Prune Trees?

Tree pruning is practiced for many reasons. Some do it to remove diseased, dead, or overgrown branches or stems, leaving healthy plant tissue intact. Others do it so their yard looks nice. Trees on residential property may be pruned for safety reasons. Dead, dry branches may be a fire hazard, if they come in contact with power lines.

Tree branches may also damage the roof by poking the outer roofing surface. This can gradually strip the roofing material down to the base mat layer. This can expose the roof to moisture. An increased level of moisture creates the ideal atmosphere for mold and damage.

When Should You Prune Trees?

Pruning should be done in the winter or early spring.  This is the ideal time because most plants are dormant during the winter. You want to prune hard during the winter or very early spring before any new growth starts! Pruning in the winter promotes fast regrowth in the spring. It’s also easier to see the shape of deciduous plants in the winter, since their leaves are gone. Make sure to prune on a mild, dry day. Be careful not to prune too early because incisions can dry out if the temperature drops below freezing.

Where do I start?

When pruning, first prune out dead and diseased branches.  Some of those are caused by winter’s snow and ice in late winter.  Remove all unwanted lower branches on all evergreen shrubs and trees in late winter. Then remove the overgrown and smaller branches to increase light and air at the crown of the tree. In general, your goal is to keep the branches that develop or maintain the structure of the tree.

Things to Remember When Pruning Trees

Tree pruning should be left to arborists and landscaping professionals. Cutting branches the wrong way may be fatal to the tree. However, if professional pruning services are not available and you have no choice but to do it yourself, keep the following things in mind:

• Carefully inspect the tree, particularly in how the outer branches stem from the larger ones. You need to identify which living branch is attached to the main trunk. This branch should not be cut.
• If a tree is in season, never remove more than a quarter of the tree’s crown.
• Cut the high branches safely by using a pole pruner, instead of climbing the tree.
• To shorten a branch with a small bud, make a sharp, clean and slightly angled cut about 1/4 inches beyond the bud.

Avoid Roof Replacement: Protect Your Home

Industry Elite Services recommends you create a 10-foot clearance between the roofing surface and the outer branches. This creates enough room for growth while keeping the tree branches from damaging the roof surface. It also helps prevent leaves from getting into the gutters that cause gutter clogging.