Tree Trimming & Pruning in Madison, WI

Tree trimming and pruning done well changes how a tree handles the next storm. Done badly, it starts problems that show up years later. In Madison the goals are usually practical: get dead limbs out of a canopy over the house, lift branches off a roof or a garage, open a view of the lake, thin a crown that catches too much wind, or set up a young tree so it grows one strong trunk instead of two weak ones. We follow the pruning practices in the ANSI A300 standard, the industry's reference for tree care, which favors cutting back to a branch or the trunk at the right spot instead of leaving stubs, and which treats topping as damage, not a method.

Types of pruning we do

Crown cleaning removes dead, dying, broken and crossing branches, and it is the most common request we get. Crown raising lifts the lower limbs so you can walk, drive or mow underneath. Crown thinning takes out selected branches to reduce weight and wind resistance without changing the tree's shape. Crown reduction shortens limbs back to smaller side branches when a tree has outgrown its space, which is gentler than topping and keeps the tree's natural form. Structural pruning on young trees picks a single leader and removes competing stems while the cuts are still small.

Timing in a Wisconsin year

For most hardwoods, late fall through late winter is the easiest time: the leaves are off, the branch structure is plain to see, and the tree has the spring to begin closing its wounds. Maples and birches may drip sap from late-winter cuts; it looks alarming but does not hurt the tree. Oaks are different. UW-Madison's Plant Disease Diagnostics Clinic advises pruning oaks only in the dormant season, because the sap beetles that spread oak wilt can find a fresh wound within minutes. Madison backs that up with a permit requirement for any oak work between April 1 and October 15. Dead, broken or hanging limbs are the exception: they should come out whenever they are found.

How much to take

ISA guidance generally warns against removing more than about a quarter of a tree's living canopy in one season, and less on older trees, which recover slowly. Overpruning forces a flush of weak sprouts and leaves a tree short on the leaves it needs to feed its roots. If a big maple needs more than that, we spread the work over two or three years instead of taking it all at once.

Clearance from roofs and lines

Branches rubbing shingles, gutters full of seeds and limbs over a chimney are common reasons to call. We cut those back to sound side branches and leave a few feet of clearance so wind does not bring them straight back. Branches near the main power lines along the street or alley are MGE's work; the utility's own arborists prune on a schedule. On the service wire that runs from the pole to your house, MGE says it only trims small branches in hard contact, so other clearance there is a homeowner job that has to be done carefully or after the utility drops the line.

Terrace trees are not ours to prune

The tree on the terrace between the sidewalk and the street belongs to the city. Madison's Urban Forestry crews prune city trees, aiming for every three to five years on young trees and every ten years on older ones, and the city discourages residents from trimming them. If a terrace tree needs attention, report it to Urban Forestry.