Tree Surgery adheres to Arboriculture. Arboriculture is the cultivation, management,
and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants.
It is both a practice and a science.
The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural
practices and to their environment. The practice of arboriculture includes cultural
techniques such as selection, planting, training, fertilization, pest and pathogen
control, pruning, shaping, and removal. An individual whom is a professional in
Arboriculture is an Arborist.
Tree surgery can be necessary in order to keep trees contained within their location,
allow more light to adjacent properties and to improve a tree's aesthetic appearance.
Occasionally, the risk of branch or complete failure of a tree may necessitate pruning
or removal.
Typical duties performed by a Tree Surgeon are: Injured or diseased parts are first
removed (even small cavities in the bark may harbor injurious fungi and insects),
the surfaces are treated with antiseptics and healing aids, and the cavity may be
filled with cement or some special material, e.g., composition filler or elastic
cement.
Professional tree surgeons commonly perform many tasks in addition to surgery that
are difficult for the individual gardener e.g., large-scale pruning and providing
proper support when needed.
The term “tree surgery” is legitimate to use in describing modern methods of treating
trees, as the methods are similar to those used in human and animal surgery; that
is, the treatment of trees is based on aseptic and antiseptic methods.
Typically, surgery is done on younger trees to treat deformities that in the future
would prove problematic. On the other hand, surgery on older trees is done to preserve
the tree.
A Tree Surgeon typically employs the use of ropes and boom trucks to ascend up a
tree. This is mainly because alternate methods (e.g., gaffs or spurs) will leave
the tree susceptible to disease and infestation.
Currently the United States has an estimated 37,450 certified Tree Surgeons.