As you mow the grass or just sit out on the patio enjoying this wonderful summer weather, you glance around and realize your trees could use a good pruning. But before deciding this is a job you could easily tackle yourself please keep reading to learn why it's not always the smartest idea to trim your trees yourself.

Why do we always want it all? We want lots of shopping options, great urban housing like lofts and townhomes, but then we also demand nearby green spaces filled with towering trees. While often these trees are lush and full, it can be a challenge for them to survive in many of our smog, noisy, and crowded urban environments.

Trees, just like human beings, can experience stress through a variety of causes. In fact, over time trees can become so stressed they end up dying. Proper tree healthcare is vital to tree longevity. so it's important to recognize any signs of duress as soon as possible. Otherwise, your tree health could suffer.

One of the joys of spring in the city is the explosion of greenery provided by the surrounding trees awakening from their long winter sleep. In Kansas City where concrete, glass and steel seem to take center stage during the colder months, the urban parks and tree-lined streets are definitely one of the best perks of big city living once the weather turns warm.

This time of year is notorious for surprise storms that cause not only downed limbs and branches, but sometimes an entire tree. Not sure what to do with storm damaged trees? Why not make Mother Earth happy and turn that wood into something useful and beautiful? Here's a few things you can do with your downed branches and trees:

Dead branches stick out like a sore thumb this time of the year. Trees are no longer dormant, and it's easy to see among the leaves which branches need to be removed. While it's tempting to save a few bucks and do the job yourself, large tree limb removal is often a very dangerous job and should be left to professionals with removal experience and the correct equipment.

Adding additional trees to your yard almost always has more pros than cons. These days, most homes either make due with trees left standing after the lot was initially cleared or the trees that were planted during the original landscaping. Need more convincing to add more trees? Just keep reading.

After finishing your spring planting, you probably complete your seasonal yard maintenance by mulching flowerbeds, trees, walkways and garden paths. While all these areas can certainly benefit from mulching, just make sure to not mulch incorrectly in order to not damage both old and new vegetation.

Now that warmer weather is finally here, you've probably begun spring yard maintenance, including tree pruning. Before you get too carried away, continue reading to see why the tops of those trees need to be left intact.

Trees don't recognize boundaries. They don't respect privacy fences or property lines, and occasionally this creates situations between neighbors which require clarification.