Trimming & Pruning in Binghamton, NY

Trees we see most in Binghamton

• Eastern cottonwood Huge riverside trees that shed limbs and drop fluff; frequent removal candidates near homes
• Black walnut Big nut-dropping yard trees in older neighborhoods; dropped limbs and juglone kill gardens
• White ash Formerly common; emerald ash borer has left many dead ash that fail unpredictably
• Eastern hemlock Lines ravines and shaded lots on the hills; being thinned by hemlock woolly adelgid
• Eastern white pine Tall yard and windbreak conifer; snaps under heavy wet snow and ice
• Sugar maple Southern Tier hillside native; suffers from salt and soil compaction along city streets

Pests & disease to watch

• Emerald ash borer Established throughout Broome County; ash mortality is widespread and dead ash are dangerous to climb
• Hemlock woolly adelgid Confirmed in Broome County; hemlock hedges and ravine trees decline over several years
• Spotted lanternfly Detected in Broome County; feeds on tree-of-heaven, maple and black walnut, report sightings to NYS
• Beech leaf disease Spreading through the Southern Tier; beech crowns thin and die back within a few seasons
• Dutch elm disease Still kills remaining American elms along older streets

Weather & timing

• River flooding The 2006 and 2011 (Tropical Storm Lee) Susquehanna floods saturated root zones and toppled trees on the floodplain
• Heavy wet snow The December 2020 storm dropped 40+ inches on Binghamton; snow loads snap limbs on pines, spruce and silver maples
• Ice storms Freezing rain in the Southern Tier valleys coats branches and brings down crowns
• Severe thunderstorm winds Summer storms funneling up the river valleys uproot shallow-rooted trees in wet ground

Best time: Dormant-season work from late fall to early spring (November to March) is best in Binghamton: no leaves, frozen ground limits lawn damage, and crews avoid the spring flood period and the April-July oak wilt window.