How to Save Yourself a Big Home Improvement Bill

I just added this super important winter task to my weekly to-do list: thin the tree lines.

Winter is the perfect time to remove small trees (called saplings) and invasive/unwanted woody plants from your property.

Here's why:

• It's much easier to see woody plants that "don't belong" after all of the leaves have fallen

• Moving any wood you cut is easier without all the leaves attached too

• Dry, aged wood is easier to burn or put through a woodchipper, making it easier to turn into garden amendments come spring

• any perennials you might walk on are protected by the frozen ground

By thinning the borders of your property once a year, you can save yourself a BOATLOAD OF MONEY in the future.

If you have ever had to pay to have a large tree removed, you know the pain.

Young trees can grow to create a problem in a shorter amount of time than you think. If you didn't plant it on purpose, and it's not a large established tree, then it's a weed.

These "weeds" often grow at odd angles (like toward your house or over your driveway)  because they are reaching for the light, which is blocked by the taller mature trees.

Every year that they get bigger, they will be harder to remove, until eventually it becomes a problem that WILL cost you money. (one way or another)

Two winters ago, we had to spend a good chunk of change to clean up overgrown trees along our property line, which could have been prevented if those trees had just been removed yearly when they were very small.

Now I make sure to set aside a warm winter afternoon to clean up any small trees that I don't want to let grow-up.

If you walk your border once a year, you can easily remove young saplings yourself with a pair of loppers.

Use your own best judgement when deciding what you can cut yourself and what you should hire a professional for. My personal rule of thumb is if I can cut it with my biggest pair of loppers and carry it by myself, it is fair game.

If you DO find you need to hire a tree removal service, winter can also be the best time for that, for all the same reasons listed above.

BONUS: Some baby trees make great decorations in the winter too!

Use it as an excuse to get outside on a warmer sunny day in the dead of winter.

Check out the video below to see jus how easy it can be: