Pruning and trimming in Cortland County is often about clearance. City streets in Cortland and village streets in Homer are lined with mature trees, and their lower limbs drift down over sidewalks, driveways and parked cars. Out in Virgil and McGraw, the issue is more often limbs over a barn roof or a long drive that a plow truck needs to get down.
Tubbs Tree Service prunes by choosing which limbs to remove and why, not by shearing the whole crown. Jason Tubbs walks the property with you, marks the problem limbs, and gives you a plan with different levels of work, from a light clearance cut to a full crown cleaning. The $50 consultation is credited when you go ahead.
The clearance numbers in the City of Cortland
City code asks owners to keep private tree branches at least 13 feet above the street and 8 feet above the sidewalk. Low limbs are also a common reason a delivery truck scrapes a tree or a walker ducks. A crown raise fixes that by removing the lowest limbs back to the trunk or a strong lateral branch.
Public trees need city permission first
A tree in the strip between sidewalk and curb is usually city property. Significant pruning of a public tree needs a city tree-trimming permit, and the city requires a city arborist license and insurance for commercial work on street and park trees. If the limb you want cut belongs to a street tree, start with a call to the city.
Types of pruning we recommend most here
- Crown raising for sidewalks, driveways and plow clearance.
- Crown cleaning to take out dead, broken and rubbing limbs before winter.
- Crown thinning to let wind pass through dense maples on exposed hillsides.
- Reduction cuts to pull long limbs back from roofs and chimneys.
Timing around weather and wildlife
Late winter, when trees are dormant and leaves are off, makes structure easy to see and is a good window for most hardwoods. Dead wood can come out any time of year, and should, since it only gets harder to remove safely. Bats and nesting birds use trees in spring and summer, so a quick wildlife check before cutting matters, and Jason will flag a cavity or nest when he sees one.
Pruning & Trimming Questions From Cortland County
How much of my Homer maple can be pruned in one visit?
As a rule of thumb, removing a modest share of the live canopy at once is safer than a heavy cut. Taking too much stresses the tree and invites weak sprouts. Jason will tell you what your specific maple can handle, and if it needs more work than that, he can split the job across seasons in your plan.
My neighbor’s branches hang over my yard in Cortland. Can you trim them?
Overhanging limbs come up a lot on tight city lots. The cleanest approach is to involve your neighbor so the cuts are done properly and the tree stays balanced. If the tree is a city street tree, the city has to approve significant pruning. For questions about property rights, check with your city office.
Is topping a tree a good way to keep it shorter?
No. Topping leaves large stubs that decay and sprout clusters of weak shoots, which then break in wind. Reduction cuts back to a healthy side branch lower the height and keep the tree’s natural shape. If a tree truly is too big for its spot, removal and replanting may be a better long-term choice.
Want the full picture? Read our pruning & trimming guide, or see everything we do in Cortland County.