Tree Trimming in Hilton

Hilton is a village in the Town of Parma on the north end of Monroe County, just a few miles from Lake Ontario. It's a small rural and suburban community that has grown slowly and steadily since the 1970s. The proximity to the lake means weather here can be more severe than in southern parts of the county. Farming is still present on the outskirts, and converted farm lots in the area have mature hedgerows and old fruit trees.

Branches that hang over roofs or power lines in Rochester don't stay put through a lake-effect winter. The snow loads here can hit 40 inches in a single storm, and a limb that looked fine in October can split and come down on a fence or car by January. Neighborhoods like Irondequoit and the South Wedge have a lot of older maples and oaks — trees planted 50 or 60 years ago that are now big enough to cause real damage if they're not kept up.

We climb the tree or use a bucket truck, make cuts at the right collar — that's the raised ring where a branch meets the trunk — so the tree seals itself over time without rotting. We don't top trees, because topping kills the structure and leaves stubs that rot out in a few years, which means you'll pay more to deal with the mess later.