Tree Trimming & Pruning in St. Louis, MO

Tree trimming and pruning is often the reason a removal never becomes necessary. A dead limb taken out in March does not come through a roof in a June thunderstorm. A silver maple thinned and shortened over a garage carries less weight in the next ice storm. Good pruning follows the ANSI A300 standard used across the tree care industry, which Ameren's own line clearance contractors also follow: cuts made just outside the branch collar, no flush cuts, no topping, and no more live growth removed at once than the tree can afford.

What we prune for in St. Louis

• Deadwood: dead branches over roofs, patios, driveways and sidewalks are the first priority, since they fall without warning.
• Roof and gutter clearance: limbs touching or overhanging brick and shingles are shortened so they do not scrape, clog gutters or give squirrels a path in.
• Alley and garage clearance: branches over alleys and garage roofs cut back so trash trucks and cars can pass.
• Weak unions: Bradford pears and other trees with tight, narrow forks can sometimes be reduced to take weight off a failing union, though often this only buys time.
• Crown thinning and raising: selected limbs removed to let light and wind through, or lower limbs lifted over a lawn or sidewalk.

Topping is not trimming

Cutting a tree's top off to make it shorter, sometimes sold as a cheap fix, leaves large wounds that decay and triggers a flush of weakly attached sprouts that break more easily than the original limbs. If a tree is simply too big for its spot, reduction cuts back to suitable side branches, or removal, are better choices, and we will say which we think fits.

Wires and city trees

Branches around the service drop to your house are the homeowner's responsibility, and Ameren Missouri can schedule a temporary disconnect so they can be trimmed safely. Lines on the poles along the street or alley are Ameren's to clear, on a four- or six-year cycle. In the city, pruning a tree in the tree lawn between the curb and sidewalk requires a Permit to Maintain from the Forestry Division, even if you just want a low limb lifted.

When to prune

Late fall through winter is a good time for most trees: the leaves are off, the structure is easy to see, and the tree is dormant. Dead and dangerous limbs can come off any time.