Tree and Shrub Care

Plant health care in this region is mostly a fight against a handful of known pressures. Emerald ash borer is established across Massachusetts and New Hampshire and is fatal to untreated ash; hemlock woolly adelgid has hollowed out hemlock stands throughout eastern Massachusetts; winter moth defoliation still hits maples, oaks and fruit trees in coastal and near-coastal towns each spring. Each of these has a treatment window measured in weeks, not seasons.

That is why we assess before we spray. A risk and health assessment tells us which trees are worth treating, which need structural pruning or cabling, and which are already hazard trees that belong on a removal plan. On commercial sites we map that to a multi-year budget so nothing becomes an emergency line item.

When is the right time to prune?

Structural pruning on most deciduous trees is best in late winter while the tree is dormant. Spring-flowering shrubs are pruned right after they bloom, or you cut off next year’s flowers.

Do you remove trees and grind stumps?

Yes, including storm-damage removals, with on-site chipping and full cleanup.

Can you save a tree that is already declining?

Sometimes. It depends on the cause and how much canopy is left, which is exactly what the health assessment is for. If it can’t be saved, we tell you that and plan the removal before it becomes a hazard.