Need a tree guy? Secrets your arborist won’t tell you

But it is a good idea to prune a tree with dead wood – especially when the dead branches are more than five centimetres in diameter.

Discover which 15 trees you should never grow in your yard. 

If you see mushrooms or other fungi growing on your tree, or if a big limb breaks off during a storm, have me out for a tree inspection before it’s too late. Those can both be signs of a bigger problem. If the branches of your tree are dying back from the tips, especially at the top, your tree is probably already a goner. Another bad sign: The tree goes straight down into the ground like a telephone pole, instead of flaring out at the bottom.

Trees advertised as fast-growing typically are weak-wooded and decay-prone, and they often have limbs that break off easily in wind and storms.

Learn how to grow trees sideways. 

Topping was accepted 45 years ago, but science has since shown that’s the worst thing you can do to a tree.

Every time he takes a step, he’s making another wound in the tree and creating a decay pocket.

Always get a second opinion if someone tells you a healthy-looking tree needs to come down, especially if he wants to charge several thousand dollars.

Good arborists don’t need to canvas neighbourhoods looking for customers. A lot of you hire so-called tree experts who are really just a guy with a chainsaw and a pickup truck. You think you got a great deal, but the work is atrocious and you won’t even realise it until the tree has already started to decay.

Learn how to prune trees and shrubs. 

When we make a tree really beautiful and you comment on what a good job we did cleaning up. That’s like telling the barber how well he cleaned the hair up off the floor.

If you pile mulch up against the trunk of the tree (we call that a mulch volcano), the moisture can’t escape, and the trunk and root can rot more easily. Make sure there’s a mulch-free doughnut shape around the base.

Get in the know with our essential guide to mulchers. 

I once hung a swing for a client from a branch 10 metres off the ground. And I’ve rescued a few cats too.