Tree care guides
Straight answers from Bisson Services to the questions Orleans and Ottawa homeowners ask most: when to prune, whether a tree is dangerous, and what to do with the wood chips afterwards.
- What to Do With Wood Chips After Tree WorkWood chips from tree work are one of the best free mulches you can get. Spread them about 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) deep on top of the soil around trees and shrubs or on paths, keep them a few inches away from trunks and stems, and do not dig them into the ground. Used that way they hold moisture, smother weeds and slowly feed the soil.
- When to Prune Trees in OttawaFor most trees in Ottawa the best time to prune is late winter, while the tree is dormant: you can see the structure, disease pressure is low, and cuts start closing as soon as growth begins in spring. The exceptions matter: do not prune oaks from April to July, prune spring-flowering trees right after they bloom, and remove dead or broken branches whenever you find them. In Ottawa, pruning done to good arboricultural practice needs no City permit.
- Is My Tree Dangerous? Warning Signs to CheckA tree is dangerous when something about it is likely to fail and there is something underneath it could hit. The warning signs are dead or hanging branches, cracks and splits (especially where two trunks meet), fungus on the trunk or at the base, a lean that is new, and soil lifting or cracking around the roots. If a tree is near a power line, stay away and call Hydro Ottawa; if it is a City tree, call 3-1-1; if it is yours and threatening your house right now, it can be removed without waiting for a permit.
- What Does Tree Work Cost? Why We Estimate On SiteWe do not give prices over the phone, because an honest price for tree work depends on things nobody can judge from a description: what is under the tree, how we can reach it, and what shape the wood is in. A phone number would either be padded to cover the unknowns or change once we arrive. Instead we come and look, and the estimate is free.
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Based in Orleans, ON. Service area outlined in green: Ottawa east to Clarence-Rockland, Hawkesbury and Cornwall, north to Thurso and the Ottawa Valley.