It’s time for spring cleaning — removing the old to make way for the new — which is the perfect time to tend to the tasks in your yard you couldn’t tackle before the winter. Tree removal is one such task. There are plenty of reasons you should consider tree removal in Columbia, MO. Here are some of the main reasons you should consider removing trees this spring. 

Columbia’s Weather Can Get Intense

In Missouri, heavy winds and rainstorms are common in the spring. The Columbia, MO area gets an average of 4 to 5 inches of precipitation per month from March through June. During this time, winds pick up, which lasts all summer. When limbs die and dry out, they lose strength, and a strong wind can cause them to break, potentially damaging property or even injuring people. 

If the whole tree is dead, rotted wood makes it less sturdy, and you risk the whole tree falling during heavy winds and rain. A dead tree can do some serious damage if it breaks or falls during or following a storm. Larger trees can knock down power lines, damage windows, roofing, and other structures in your home, or total your car. Anyone in your yard risks being injured by a falling tree that has been weakened by a storm. 

While protecting your safety and property is reason enough to consider tree trimming in Columbia, MO, there are other benefits to pruning and removing trees in the spring. 

Reasons Why Tree Removal Is a Good Idea

Some of the more common reasons people choose to remove trees include the following… 

Dead Trees

There’s no reason to leave a dead tree in your yard. They’re significantly weaker than healthy trees and easily fall in bad weather. They can also attract pests like termites and other insects that feast on rotting wood. If your tree died from a disease, it could be spreading through the rest of your trees. 

Diseased Trees

Even if a diseased tree isn’t dead, it’s still best to remove it. If one of your trees is infected, it can attract pests or spread the disease to other trees. Some tree diseases, like leaf blight, can also pass to other plants in your yard. Before you know it, your once-pristine landscape could become sickly. 

Diseased trees are weaker than healthy ones. These trees may be less likely to withstand heavy rain and wind. You may be able to treat some tree diseases. Consult a tree care professional to see if your diseased tree needs to be removed or if they can potentially help you save it. 

Encroaching Trees

When your trees are dead or dying, removing them is an easy decision, but you may need to remove a perfectly healthy tree on occasion. Your neighbors might not appreciate limbs that hang over their property line, causing a dispute. If you have a large tree that’s encroaching on a neighbor’s property, you can solve the problem by trimming or removing the tree. 

Pest Infestation

Pest infestations aren’t limited to dead or diseased trees. Pests can invade your healthy trees and make them sick. Various insects, aphids, and other creepy crawlies like to feed on your trees. Others bore holes into trees to lay eggs, damaging the root systems and making your trees sick. 

If you can catch an infestation early, you might be able to stop it and save the tree. But if your pest problem is out of control, it’s probably best to remove the tree altogether and treat the other trees to keep the pests from infecting others in your yard. 

Aesthetics

Maybe you like a good balance of plants and trees in your landscape. You might consider removing excess trees that are crowding certain areas of your yard. If they’re too big, they could be blocking some of your home’s natural light. In this case, you could consider removing some branches and thinning out the tree. Dead or dying trees can also impact your home’s aesthetic, making it seem more run down and lowering home values.

Liability

When you leave dead or dying trees in your yard, you are responsible if your tree falls and damages someone else’s property or injures them. Dead and dying trees and limbs put you at risk, so your best bet is to remove them in the spring before summer storms hit. 

Can You Do Tree Removal on Your Own? 

You can, but removing trees by yourself is tiresome and risky. Knowledge and experience helps to judge the heaviness and density of limbs and branches. 

If you try removing them yourself, you might think you’re dealing with a light, easy limb that you can handle. But once you start cutting, you may find that the branch is actually heavy and dense, and this misjudgment can lead to serious injury and even death. 

You also may not know enough to figure out where branches will fall and how to get them down without damaging the rest of your yard. It’s best to leave tree removal up to the pros. 

Let the Professionals Handle It

If you have trees that need to be pruned or removed this spring, let the professionals handle them. Experts know how to prune trees to keep the structure intact and leave the tree looking healthy and strong. They can also evaluate your trees to see which ones need to come down. You might not be able to tell how damaged a tree is just by looking at it. 

An expert can help you trim and remove your trees safely and effectively. They’ll also haul off dead trees and branches, so your yard will be cleaner and prettier when they’re done. 

Trusted Tree Removal in Columbia, MO

Voss Land & Tree has on-staff certified arborists to help advice clients and our team on tree health and removal. We can tell you which trees might be sick or dead and need to be removed. We can help you fix any trees that are encroaching on your neighbors’ property, and we can get rid of any unsightly trees in your yard. 

Don’t risk your own life and limbs removing your own trees. Contact us today and get spring ready.