On hot summer days, you'll usually notice many people hanging out outdoors, in the park, or in an area with many trees. Tree canopies provide shade and help you cool down, reducing your suffering from the unrelenting heat. Tree canopies are vital in keeping your surroundings cool, especially during summers in Woodstock, Georgia. Ample tree cover can reduce temperatures during the daytime significantly.
How Important is Shade in your Woodstock Yard?
Did you know that one mature tree can produce the same cooling effect as ten room-sized air conditioners? The shade provided by trees can help mitigate hot spots and heat islands, even in urban landscapes. Shaded areas may be cooler by 20–45°F versus unshaded regions. Tree shade also helps slow water evaporation, benefiting thirsty lawns, especially during the hot summer. Well-placed trees can even help reduce energy costs in hot months by shading your property's west and south sides, requiring less cooling from your air conditioners. In winter, deciduous trees can help warm your home as they allow the sun and its heat to pass through.
Choosing the Right Trees for your Yard
If you live in one of the warmest areas, such as Woodstock, Georgia, you'd want to plant shade trees and enjoy their many benefits during hot summer days. Some of the characteristics of shade trees are found below:
- They can provide a dense shade through their broad leaves that can cool your yard when air passes through. If you want a lighter shade, select trees with finer foliage.
- Shade trees can be vase-shaped or rounded and tall, providing you with enough room to walk underneath their branches.
- They also have ornamental varieties characterized by fruits, flowers, or fall foliage, which means they're both beautiful and functional.
- The best shade trees for summer are more drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant than others. Examples of trees that are perfect choices for your yard include: Gingko, American Sycamore, Shumard Oak, Tulip Poplar, Elm, Beech, Ash
Tree Planting Tips and Considerations
Do note that you must consider the planting area when choosing trees. Does it have enough room so that it won't restrict the growth of your trees? Also, base your choice on growing conditions, such as the soil type, how much light the area gets, etc. For example, some trees can thrive in sandy, loose soil, while others do well in clay-type, heavier soil. Height is another consideration when picking out trees to plant in your Woodstock yard, especially if you have power lines overhead. If you want to keep an open look and your view clear, the spreading canopy of most shade trees would be less desirable.
Proper Tree Canopy Maintenance
Your tree canopy is vital in creating and maintaining a stable and healthy ecosystem. For one, it provides a habitat for wildlife in your area. A tree canopy also cools your yard or home during the summer and helps reduce pollution. Hence, taking steps to maintain tree canopies properly is essential. The following are must-dos to maintain tree canopies in your Woodstock, Georgia, yard:
Canopy Reduction
Canopy trees sometimes outgrow their environment, which then requires canopy reduction. It's the process of recreating the structure and shape of your canopy tree by shortening the branch length by up to thirty percent. The best time to reduce canopy depends on the tree species, but many trees respond well to pruning in the late summer for more rapid healing. Deciduous trees, conversely, are best pruned during winter months as their branches become more visible.
Canopy Thinning
Thinning tree canopies enable more light and wind to go through the tree crown, but the process is also helpful in preventing tree limbs from getting too invasive. Canopy thinning can also prevent your tree canopies from getting too tall. It's selective pruning, best done on dormant trees or plants for best results.
Canopy Lifting
Also called "canopy elevation" or "elevation pruning," it removes low limbs to clear walkways, structures, streets, lights, etc. Canopy lifting also allows more sunlight into the turf grass, benefiting your lawn.
Proper canopy management benefits humans, animals, and tree canopies. All these processes help prevent or reduce damage to the trees, reduce risks from falling and broken branches, make your yard or lawn healthier and more attractive, etc.
Get a free estimate and learn more about tree canopy management and other residential tree services we offer, specifically for homeowners in North Atlanta, Acworth, Woodstock, Marietta, or Kennesaw. Contact us at (678) 679-8296 .
Keep your yard looking great through proper tree maintenance by our certified tree specialists!