Get matched with top tree service pros in Valentine, NE

You may be looking to identify maple trees to use for home improvement projects. In that case, you can tell hard maples by looking at their leaves. Leaves will have a U-shaped dip, or sinus, between the points, or lobes, of the leaves. Leaves of soft maples tend to have V-shaped sinuses.

If you already have the cut wood in front of you, look for a light, uniform color to identify hard maple wood and check for variations of red, gray, or brown streaks and an overall darker color in soft maple wood.

There are four common ways to prune a tree correctly: crown thinning, crown reduction, crown raising, and crown cleaning. The method you choose depends on the purpose of pruning. However, making the correct cuts is a vital part of the process, regardless of your method. Pruning incorrectly can damage or even kill the tree. So, you may want to hire a professional tree-trimming company to tackle the task. 

The best time to trim trees is in late fall through winter when the tree has slowed its growing for the year. Cold weather stops insects and fungal growth from attacking a new tree wound. Summer and fall are considered the worst times to trim trees, but it’s permissible in certain scenarios, such as tree disease, damaged branches, or small, aesthetic cuts.

Common signs that a tree is rotting include dead branches, a leaning trunk, peeling or cracked bark, leaf discoloration, and the presence of fungi. If you notice any of these signs, it’s best to hire an arborist near you to inspect your tree and determine if it can be saved or if it needs to come down.