Does your tree guy sterilize his pruning tools?

Does your tree guy sterilize his pruning tools?

Sterilizing pruning tools is a much disputed practice within the arboricultural community.  Some tree care workers don’t believe that pathogens can be passed from tree to tree through pruning tools.  Others just don’t know because they’ve never been told or maybe haven't thought about it.  Either way, the transmission of diseases to healthy plants and trees should be avoided at all costs.  You’ve placed a lot of time, energy, and money into caring for your trees.  It would be a shame if they were infected with disease by a dirty tool.  So ask yourself: does your tree guy sterilize his pruning tools?

Here in South Central Alaska, our most prevalent trees are birch, spruce, and several species of poplar.  These trees are all susceptible to infection from both bacterial and fungal pathogens transmitted through pruning tools.  Both bacterial and fungal pathogens induce significant stress upon the tree and can eventually lead to tree death resulting in costly removal expenses. 

Canker Rot on Paper Birch

Canker Rot on Cottonwood

In the arboriculture world, we do a lot of tree cutting.  It’s about an even split between removal jobs and pruning jobs.  Most of the time, we are not removing strong, beautiful, healthy trees.  It’s rare that a homeowner wants to cut down their beautiful and healthy trees. We’re removing the big, ugly, and

Conks on Paper Birch

Conks on Paper Birch

scary ones that are already dead.  These trees have conks on the trunk showing where their fungal infection is protruding to the surface or canker rot girdling the trunk. Sometimes they have both.  The same handsaws we use on these trees are the same handsaws we are using on your valued ornamental trees. Think of pruning like surgery.  Would you allow your surgeon to perform surgery with dirty tools? I sincerely doubt it.  The same principles apply, even in tree work.  Ask yourself: do you want your beautiful trees exposed to fungal or bacterial disease?  If your tree guy is pulling out his handsaw and it’s not shiny and clean, there’s likely a chance for the transmission of infection. 

Sterilizing Pruning Shears

So how do we sterilize our pruning tools?  There are quite a few methods, varying from isopropyl alcohol soaks and sprays to heat treatments.  Some institutions even recommend household cleaners such as Lysol; however, there’s little information on the efficacy of such products. 

At Polar Tree and Engine Care, we sterilize all pruning tools before pruning new trees.  We care about your trees and refuse to be the reason they are thrown into decline.  Our goal is to ensure you enjoy your trees for years and decades to come.  If you’re interested in pruning your trees, give us a call.  We love pruning trees and would love to build a pruning plan for your trees.