Trimming the trees on your property can be annoying, but doing so can help limit animals’ access to your home. Longer tree branches can provide cover, access, and even cause damage that allows animals to intrude on your home. Tree trimming can help prevent intrusions from wild critters. This article will cover how animals can use close or overhanging branches to access your home.
Overhanging Branches and Roof Access
Overhanging branches can provide a bridge to your roof for critters. Squirrels, raccoons, and even snakes can use overhanging branches to jump or drop onto the roof. This provides easy access to your chimney or attic. Branches don’t have to overhang to be usable by animals. Many critters can make a jump of a few feet. Squirrels are especially adept at determining safe jump distances for themselves. Be sure to trim branches back far enough to where animals can’t easily jump over. While it may be hard to completely stop a squirrel from making the jump, wider gaps can be efficient deterrents.
Branches Can Damage Your Home
Tree limbs that hit your home can create serious damage over time. Repeated scraping, scratching, and rubbing from branches can create damage to your siding, roof, or gutters. This damage can create openings that critters can exploit. Opportunistic rodents can gnaw at damaged areas to access interiors faster. If a branch is scraping the roof or side of your home, trim it back as soon as possible.
Tree Limbs and Your Gutters
Tree limbs can also fill up your gutters, too. Leaves, seeds, pollen, and other debris can fill up gutters and clog them. This debris can weigh down the gutters, causing further damage to your home. Heavy, weighed-down gutters can damage the eaves of your home, which can provide entrances for pest animals. By trimming branches away from your home, you reduce the risk of damage.
Tree Trimming and Animal Risk Prevention
Overall, cutting back and trimming your trees can help you protect your home from wild animals. Limiting rooftop access for wild critters can reduce your risk of infestation by a wide margin. Proper tree trimming can also reduce repair costs for maintaining your home’s exterior over time. Prevention is the best defense against wild animals available.