Many homeowners treasure the trees in their yards, as trees provide structure within your landscape and can help keep energy bills in check by shading your roof. However, they can also be detrimental to the health of your roof if they drop debris onto the surface that slows water movement and degrades the shingles. Another way that overhanging trees can impact the integrity of your roof is through limbs that are too close to the roof surface. Limbs can undermine your roof by rubbing on shingles and causing them to tear or wear through.
For these reasons and many others, it's a good idea to keep the limbs of nearby trees at bay by trimming them regularly. Though care must be taken when trimming trees due to falling hazards and limbs that drop unpredictably, keeping tree limbs clear of your roof is key to maintaining its health. Keep reading to learn more reasons why trimming nearby trees is key to maintenance of your roof.
Branches Can Damage Shingles
When tree limbs are allowed to grow too closely to your home, they can cause significant damage to the shingles that make up your roof. Even if the limbs aren't always in contact with the shingles, environmental forces like wind or precipitation can cause the limbs to sag and rub. That can result in torn shingles, shingles that are folded back against the grain of the roof, and shingles with missing granules. These are all serious conditions that can shorten the lifespan of your roof and eventually lead to leaks.
Limbs Can Damage Roofs
Aside from the small-scale damage that limbs can exact upon individual shingles, your roof can be threatened on a larger scale by falling limbs. When limbs are damaged, sickly, or dead, they can fall unpredictably on your roof surface. This can cause punctures in your roof decking or even structural damage depending on the size of the limb. One way to prevent such damage from happening is to routinely trim dead or dying limbs that overhang your roof. By removing them before they can drop, you can potentially avoid substantial damage that could occur during a storm, causing water to infiltrate your home.
Trees Drop Debris
Another reason to keep overhanging tree limbs trimmed back from your roof is that falling debris from trees can represent a maintenance nightmare. Debris can't be left on the roof for long, as organic matter will trap water against the roof surface and prevent the proper runoff of precipitation. Therefore, leaves, needles, and twigs must be removed regularly to prevent roof damage. By trimming limbs back away from the roof, you can reduce the maintenance load and prevent organic debris from accumulating on your roof surface.
Limbs are a Wildlife Highway
Wildlife in your yard can be nice. It's when those animals and insects attempt to enter your home that problems arise. That's yet another reason to trim the limbs that overhang your roof surface, as vermin, insects, and wildlife will use those limbs as a highway into your attic. By trimming the limbs back from your roof, you'll be cutting off those creatures from your home and keeping them where they belong.
Trimming tree limbs that are close to your roof is a key maintenance task that can prevent substantial damage to your roof in the future. To learn more reasons that trimming nearby limbs is critical to maintenance of your roof, contact Findlay Roofing at (770) 516-5806.
