Tree trimming is a very precarious thing to do. It’s always best to hire a trained arborist or tree trimming company to trim a tree for you. You can trim a tree by yourself, but there are important factors that you have to take in before you trim the tree. When you trim the tree, its important to only do so when it is dormant. Trees go through phases in which they expend energy and when they use their energy to produce fruit and leaves. You want to make sure that you trim the tree during the phase in which the tree is not producing leaves and fruit. That way the tree won’t be expending large amounts of energy to try and fix the wound made when it already needs to be using that energy to produce leaves.  

     When a tree branch is trimmed off, it creates a wound that the tree must expend energy to heal. If the wound is too large, the tree will either not be able to heal from it or it will suffer in appearance and health. Some trees can handle trimming of branches up to 4 inches in diameter. The majority of trees, however, can handle much less than that. That’s why it is important to get your tree regularly trimmed, as you must only trim young, small branches. 

     If you have to trim a larger branch, you can do so, you just need to exercise extra precautions. Make sure to never trim too close to the base of the tree, as this can cause excessive damage. A large portion of the trimmed tree branch should not be left on the tree either, however. You want to make sure that the branch is cut close, but not too close to the base of the tree.