If you need tree trimming in Woodland, WA, start with two questions: how big is the tree, and what is near it? We prune ornamental trees like Japanese maples, dogwoods and flowering cherries, plus small to mid-size shade trees, and we remove limbs over lawns, walks and driveways. That covers most of the trees in a typical yard.
It does not cover everything. Large tree removals, trees leaning over the house, storm-damaged trees with cracks or decay, and anything near power lines need an arborist with ISA certification and the climbing and rigging gear to match. Bogar Landscaping is a landscaping crew, not an arborist firm, and when a job crosses that line we will tell you and point you to the right people.
What Our Tree Trimming in Woodland, WA Includes
- Deadwood removal from small and mid-size trees, done any time of year.
- Crown raising to lift low limbs off lawns, walks, driveways, fences and beds.
- Crown thinning on ornamental trees to let light and air through.
- Structural pruning of young trees, so they grow one strong leader instead of competing tops.
- Clearance pruning away from siding, windows and paths, on trees we can safely reach.
- Storm limb cleanup for broken branches that are low or already on the ground.
- Cleanup and haul-off of every branch, plus raking under the tree.
Overgrown shrubs and hedges are a separate job, covered on our shrub and hedge trimming page.
Where Our Work Ends: When to Call an Arborist
| We handle | Call an arborist with ISA certification |
|---|---|
| Ornamental trees and small to mid-size shade trees | Large tree removal and tall conifers that need climbing or rigging |
| Limbs we can reach and drop safely | Limbs over the roof, the house or a neighbor's structure |
| Deadwood and crown raising | Trees with cracks, cavities, mushrooms at the base or a new lean |
| Broken limbs low in the tree or on the ground | Hangers stuck high in the canopy after a storm |
| Work well away from overhead lines | Anything near power lines |
Power lines are a hard stop. Federal OSHA rules keep workers who are not qualified for line work at least 10 feet from overhead lines of 50 kV or less. If a tree touches or leans toward a line, call your electric utility. For everything else in the right column, ISA's Find an Arborist tool lists credentialed arborists near you. Washington's contractor law also lists tree removal as contractor work, so ask any tree service for its L&I registration number.
Signs Your Trees Need Pruning
- Low limbs brush your head on the walk, scrape the car or block the mower.
- Dead branches with no leaves in summer, or bark falling off.
- Crossing or rubbing limbs that wear wounds into each other.
- Two competing tops on a young tree, which splits easier later.
- Heavy shade where the lawn has turned to moss. Our lawn moss removal page explains why shade matters.
- Ivy climbing the trunk. Cut it at the base first. See English ivy removal.
Tree Pruning to the ANSI A300 Standard, Step by Step
ANSI A300 is the American National Standard for tree care. The Tree Care Industry Association, which serves as its secretariat, describes it as standard practices and specification guidelines for arborists, horticulturists, landscape architects and contractors. We follow its pruning practices and the guidance the International Society of Arboriculture publishes for homeowners:
- Set an objective. Every cut has a reason: clearance, deadwood, structure or light.
- Dead and broken wood first. It comes out before any live wood is touched.
- Cut just outside the branch collar, the swollen ring where a branch meets the trunk. Never flush against the trunk, and never leave a stub.
- Use three cuts on heavy limbs. An undercut, a top cut farther out to drop the weight, then a final cut at the collar, so bark does not tear down the trunk.
- Reduce back to a lateral branch at least one-third the diameter of the limb removed, instead of cutting between branches.
- Limit live wood removed. ISA's guidance is no more than 25 percent of the crown at once, and less for mature trees.
- Clean up and haul. Branches loaded, the area raked and blown off.
Tree Trimming vs. Topping: Why We Will Not Top Your Tree
| Pruning type | What it is | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | Removing dead, diseased and broken branches | Any tree, any time of year |
| Raising | Removing lower limbs for clearance | Over lawns, walks, driveways and beds |
| Thinning | Selectively removing live branches to open the crown | Dense ornamentals; light for the lawn below |
| Reduction | Shortening limbs back to a strong lateral branch | Reducing height or spread while keeping the tree's shape |
| Topping | Cutting limbs to stubs with no regard for structure | Never |
ISA calls topping perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. It can remove 50 to 100 percent of a tree's leaf-bearing crown, which can starve the tree, and the dense shoots that sprout below each cut are weakly attached and prone to breaking in windy or icy conditions. The large wounds decay, and a topped tree never fully regains its natural form. If a tree is genuinely too big for its spot, proper reduction or replacing it with a better-sized tree is the answer.
Trees Around Woodland: Firs, Ice and Shade
Yards here are often ringed by Douglas firs and cedars, with maples, alders and ornamental trees closer to the house. Big conifers are usually arborist work. The pruning we do most is crown raising on mid-size trees and keeping ornamentals healthy and in proportion.
Ice storms are the local reason not to top. The January 2024 storm that brought ice and straight-line winds earned a federal disaster declaration for Cowlitz and Clark County. Weakly attached sprouts on topped trees are exactly what snaps under ice, while trees pruned to a sound structure hold up better.
Timing matters too. ISA notes that growth and wound closure are best when pruning happens before the spring growth flush, and that heavy pruning just after that flush should be avoided. Maples and birches may drip sap when pruned in early spring, which looks alarming but does the tree little harm. Deadwood can come out any time.
What Affects the Cost of Tree Trimming
- Tree size and number. A few ornamentals take far less time than a row of mid-size shade trees.
- Type of work. Deadwood and crown raising are quicker than careful structural pruning.
- Access. Trees over beds, fences or slopes, or in backyards without gate access, slow the work.
- Haul volume. Branches are bulky, and disposal adds up.
- Cleanup extras. Raking, fresh bark dust under the tree or lawn repair afterward.
If you also need storm debris cleared, our yard cleanup and storm debris service covers it. We give a written estimate after looking at the trees, and if part of the job belongs with an arborist, the estimate says so.
