This DeBary tree had gotten big, and its limbs had reached out far enough that trimming it safely meant working from a lift rather than a rope. We brought in a bucket truck, set the outriggers on solid ground, and put a trimmer up into the canopy where he could reach the heavy outer limbs without ever putting weight on questionable wood. That is the whole reason to trim a tree this size from a lift. On a long, overextended limb, the weakest part is often right where a climber would need to stand, so a bucket keeps the crew supported from the machine while they make each cut. At Roeling Green Lawns, we reach for the lift whenever a tree is too tall, too spread out, or too brittle to climb the old fashioned way. It is faster, it is steadier, and it keeps everyone out from under the weight.
From up in the bucket, the crew worked methodically around the tree, reducing the long limbs, clearing the deadwood, and lightening the ends that had grown too heavy for their own good. Cutting the right amount off the tips takes strain off a limb and lowers the odds of it tearing out in a storm, which matters in Volusia County where summer weather can load a canopy up in a hurry. We kept the cuts clean and at the proper points so the tree could heal instead of throwing up weak, tangled regrowth, and we shaped it to hold a natural, balanced look rather than a topped one. As each piece came down, the ground crew kept the drop zone clear, dragged the brush out, and stacked the wood so nothing piled up under the tree. Careful tree trimming like this keeps a big tree healthy and a lot less likely to drop a limb where you do not want it. If you have got another hazard on the property, a dead tree that needs to come out in DeBary is a job we handle the same careful way.