Trees in urban areas benefit us and our environment in many ways, for example by:

• Improving air quality
• Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) – a key factor for mitigating climate change 
• Producing oxygen
• Conserving energy by reduce heating and cooling costs
• Providing habitat for wildlife
• Managing storm water by holding water in its canopy
• Reducing pollution
• Reducing soil erosion
• Enhancing quality of life
• Contributing to personal and psychological health
• Increasing property value
• Improving privacy

However, due to their proximity to buildings, roads, sidewalks and the property of others, trees in urban areas need to be carefully maintained to ensure that they don’t cause conflicts, or worse, catastrophes.  This is where Integrated Forestree Services Inc. can help.

Integrated Forestree Services Inc. provides complete tree care services for residential, commercial and government clients including:

• Tree and stump removal
• Large tree removals using specialized equipment
• Trimming, pruning and shaping
• Cabling, bracing and propping (including storm damage repairs)
• Deep root fertilizing
• Installing root barriers
• Root pruning
• Disease and insect control
• Systemic

Tree Pruning

The various types of tree pruning can be described as follows:

• Crown cleaning is the removal of dead, dying, diseased, crowded, weakly attached and low-vigour branches from the crown of a tree.
• Crown thinning is the selective removal of branches to increase light penetration and air movement through the crown. Thinning opens the foliage of a tree, reduces weight on heavy limbs, reduces water intake, and helps retain the tree's natural shape.
• Crown raising removes the lower branches from a tree in order to provide clearance for buildings, vehicles, pedestrians and sight lines
• Crown reduction reduces the size of a tree, often for clearance of utility lines. Reducing the height or spread of a tree is accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles. This method maintains the form and structural integrity of the tree.
• Crown restoration removes or reduces particular limbs to restore an appropriate form to a tree that is characteristic of its species. This is often necessary following loss of multiple branches either due to storm damage, numerous years of shading by intercompeting trees, or other events.
• Structural pruning removes or reduces co-dominant stems/leaders and branches of poor growth form (i.e. sprouts).  This is typically performed on immature or semi-mature trees.  Trees are left structurally stronger and better able to withstand forces associated with wind/ice loads.
• Sanitation pruning targets for removal only those branches which are infected with disease and/or insect infested.
• Corrective pruning attempts to repair damage caused by past pruning work which has left improperly placed pruning cuts or stubs which will not heal through the development of callus (wound wood).

Deep Root Feeding

Trees in urban settings often require fertilizing due to limited rooting area and/or poor soil structure.  Fertilization effectively replaces nature’s cycling of nutrients allowing trees to fulfill their growth potential and maintain their beauty and vigour.  Integrated Forestree Services Inc. customizes fertilizer treatments to meet the specific needs of your trees.  Our hydraulic deep root fertilizer injects the fertilizer into the trees’ root area thereby allowing the nutrients to be slowly released over a two-year period.

Tree Maintenance Standards

All employed by Integrated Forestree Services Inc. are fully trained and experienced in the pruning, maintenance, repairing and removal of trees in urban settings.  All of our work conforms to both International Society of Arboriculture and National Arborist Association Standards.  As such, the use of climbing spurs in the pruning of live trees is not permitted (as this can damage the tree).  All or our personnel are covered by Workplace Safety and Insurance Board coverage and their work is covered by public liability insurance.

Our Fleet Integrated Forestree Services Inc. owns and operates all the specialized equipment required for its urban forestry services.  A bucket truck allows us to access those difficult-to-reach trees and branches while reducing any risk to persons and property.  It allows us to manage trees more effectively for our numerous residential and commercial clients.

Please call or send us an email for a free estimate of your tree care needs.

Tree Care Tips

How to Keep Your Trees Healthy

In addition to stresses such as drought, insects, extreme weather and disease, trees in urban environments face specific urban stresses that would not be found in the forest.  Some examples include:

• city streets, driveways and underground utilities can restrict tree roots
• road salt, pesticides and other pollutants can harm trees
• buildings can block sunlight
• lawn mowers, weed trimmers and snow plows can damage tree trunks and branches
• home construction, renovations, pools and urban development can damage tree roots, trunks, branches and compact soil near trees
• vandalism

Reducing stress and repairing the effects of stress is essential to maintain the health of urban trees.  A good start is to:

• Ensure proper tree selection  - choose the right tree for the right place taking into consideration sunlight, climate and space requirements 
• Avoid soil compaction around trees’ root systems
• Ensure proper watering
• Deep root fertilizing
• Treat and protect against disease and pest infestations using organic methods
• Properly trim and prune trees
• Repair torn bark
• Prevention and repair by staking, cabling, bracing and guying
• Remove trees which pose a hazard to persons or property

When to Seek Professional Help

Get professional help and advice when:

• a damaged tree is close to utilities, other homes, parks or public property 
• a tree requires climbing to prune/trim
• a tree needs to be removed
• a stump needs to be removed
• cabling or bracing is required
• pruning large or valuable trees
• you suspect disease or insect infestation
• you want to protect trees around new building or renovation sites
• deep root fertilizing is needed
• advice is required on tree species/site compatibility

When Choosing a Tree Care Company

What you should look for when choosing a tree care company:

• Education
  • a Registered Professional Forester (R.P.F.) on staff for consultations. In Ontario, R.P.F.s are the only professionals licensed to undertake urban forestry consulting.
• Certification of professional training and experience
  • working arborists and technicians must have at minimum a college diploma in Arboriculture and/or Forestry
  • at least one year of related work experience
• Member of professional associations
  • Ontario Professional Foresters Association
  • International Society of Arboriculture
  • National Arborists Association
  • American Society of Consulting Arborists
• Professional standards
  • does not use spurs in live trees
  • adheres to a code of ethics
• Insurance
  • all workers are covered by Workplace Safety Insurance Board
  • the firm carries at least $1 million coverage in general liability insurance to protect your assets
  • the firm carries at least $1 million in errors and omissions insurance
• Good references and reputation 
• Locally owned and operated
• Satisfaction guaranteed
• Good management practices

Please call or send us an email and don’t be afraid to ask questions….be sure you get the very best.

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