Simply Trees

Before & after: a live oak removal and replacement in Venice, FL. 🌳➡️🌿

This live oak was healthy, but its location was the problem — planted too close to utilities and impervious surfaces, it was set up to create conflicts
down the road as it matured. Rather than wait for that to become a costly issue, we removed it proactively and replaced it with a silver buttonwood, a better-fit option for this small residential lot that won't outgrow its space.

Planning ahead like this is part of what good tree care looks like — not just reacting to problems, but preventing the ones a tree's own location can cause years down the line. 🏡

"

Let's talk about lion-tailing - and why we won't do it. 🦁🌳

This is when a tree's interior branches are stripped out, leaving foliage only at the branch tips. It might look "clean," but University of Florida/IFAS Extension and the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) are clear: this is considered arboricultural malpractice, not proper pruning.

Here's why it matters:
🌬️ It shifts all the weight to the ends of the branches, making them far more likely to snap in storms and high winds
🌳 It removes the tree's ability to flex and disperse wind load the way a properly structured canopy does
⚠️ ANSI A300 standards (the national standard for tree care) say no more than ¼ of a mature tree's foliage should be removed in a growing season - lion-tailing blows way past that
📈 It often triggers excessive sprouting, which just creates more weak growth down the road

With how much research is publicly available from UF/IFAS and ISA, there's no excuse for this still being common practice. It doesn't just look bad - it creates real liability for the property owner, while the person doing the cutting gets paid for it.

Our certified arborists follow ANSI A300 and ISA Best Management Practices on every job. If a company offers to "thin it out" like this, ask questions first. Your trees - and your property - deserve better. 🌿

Sources: UF/IFAS Extension (hort.ifas.ufl.edu), ANSI A300 Standards, ISA Best Management Practices

🌳 Friday at Simply Trees 🌳

There’s something pretty satisfying about ending the week with the right people, the right equipment, and a whole lot of trees. 💪🌴

Have a great weekend, everyone! 🤙

Simply Trees | Venice, FL
🌿
🌿
🌿
🌿
🌿

Our team used a manlift to safely access this Laurel Oak and perform careful reduction pruning—helping provide clearance from the structure while maintaining the tree’s natural form and structure.

Just another day of professional tree care in Southwest Florida. 🌴

Views from the office today. 🌴😎

Boca Grande + coconut palms + a manlift = just another day at Simply Trees!

Some of our favorite work is the kind you almost don't notice — because it's done right. 🌴

For one of our long-time clients in Sarasota, we're not just trimming palms, we're maintaining an entire landscape: royal and coconut palms, live oaks, black olives — each one pruned on its own schedule, with its own plan. That's the difference between a quick trim and real tree care.

This visit was about the details: opening up the canopy so new sod gets the light it needs, pruning back overgrowth for privacy, and clearing out deadwood before it becomes a problem. Then a full cleanup, so the only sign we were there is a property that looks like it's always been this good.

This is what routine care looks like when it's done by people who know palms and hardwoods inside and out. 🌿

Not every tree removal is about old age — sometimes it's storm damage that finally catches up. This dead Ficus, Live Oak, and Slash Pine came down on a Venice property after taking hits from back-to-back hurricanes in 2022 and 2024. The 2024 storm was the one that did the real damage — these trees never recovered.

We removed all three, ground the stumps well below grade, and cleared roots and debris to leave the area ready for future planting or sod. A clean, safe work zone from start to finish.

It's always rewarding to help set the stage for a safer, healthier property — especially after what these trees went through. 🌳

"

🌳💪 On the Job Training | Bodhi has been helping out in the field for a few years now, and when he’s not in school, you might find him lending a hand with the Simply Trees crew.

He’s a hard worker, always ready to help, and clearly part of the team! 💚

🌺🌿 Nature’s Beauty

Sometimes the most beautiful things are hiding in plain sight.

A little reminder from the trees that God’s creation is pretty amazing. 🌱✨