Mia
When thinking about all the ways possible to protect your home, family, and belongings, usually tall fences, alarm systems or some fearsome dogs come to one’s mind. But have you ever thought about other, everyday objects or actions that you can get or do in order to burglar-proof your home?
One such way is tree trimming, as unexpected as it sounds. However, when you give it a little thought and after reading all the incoming reasons and pieces of advice – you will become more aware of the importance of pruning the greenery around your house.
The Question of Accessibility
The common sense here is very clear – a burglar wants to achieve getting in and out of your property without being seen. So, you need to make sure that you prevent this either directly, by stopping them from entering at all, or indirectly, by demotivating them from trying at all. A simple act of tree bracing and trimming can contribute to both of these potential solutions. They won’t be able to reach your entry points from any nearby trees, and the trimmed branches will also limit their ability to hide or escape.
Overgrown landscaping makes it all too easy for them. To discourage a thief from targeting your property, trim back or remove any large plants or fences that keep your home out of sight. If your neighbors can’t see your home from the street, then you’re far more likely to be targeted by an unwanted guest. Though the question of how much openness is too much is another issue entirely.
Landscape Management
Suburbian residences in California, similar to other well-organized urban areas, have the opportunity to make the most of their front and backyard, where ample space between homes and streets is available, and where you can make the place both beautiful and practical. Organizations like Tree Service come in handy in these types of projects, as landscape management is a craft that requires not only heavy-duty tools but also an eye for design that usually comes with experience. Some trees take decades to grow to their full height, and it’s a shame to let all that time go to waste by trimming it incorrectly.
Making earth mounds, planting hedges, trimming trees and bushes, and cutting lawns… all of those actions are part of maintaining a proper garden, but also a bit of a security measure for various reasons.
Out of Sight, Out of Fright
The first psychological factor a potential burglar encounters when faced with well-maintained greenery is that someone lives there all the time. A house can be abandoned for some time and show very little wear and tear if it is of sound construction, but trees only take a couple of months, or a year to return to a “natural” state, where branches are out of shape, a bed of fallen leaves has formed on the ground, and a general appearance of untidiness can be observed.
Secondly, a front of thick leaves that hides the view to bedroom windows is a great way to secure privacy for the more intimate quarters, while at the same time giving a very pleasant natural shade.
A Physical and Mental Barrier
Overgrown trees may look impressive out in an open field, where they stand alone as sleepy giants, but next to a house they form two kinds of risks. The most obvious one is that a tree can damage the object, by knocking off tiles from the roof, scratching windows, or, Heaven’s forbid, falling during a storm and doing serious damage to the roof construction or a vehicle.
The other, less obvious risk, is that an overgrown tree, with branches that stretch to the walls and windows of a home, can offer a very sleek passageway for someone to jump inside virtually unnoticed. Most homes, if they have a security system, will put special attention to their front door and the windows around them, maybe also putting an alarm on the garage door. But windows on the upper part of the house? Or in the backyard? Hardly ever.
To stop someone from simply jumping on your roof and crawling to an adequate entry point, cut down any branches that are too close for comfort. And while you’re at it – you can cut down any branches that make climbing up a tree easy and leave only those that are suitable for a children’s treehouse!
A determined burglar is most likely to find whatever entry point is possible, and if they come in a group – there is little chance a few trees and bushes will stop them. But in most cases, a sole antagonist will be frightened by any chance of failure and will always think twice before even attempting to enter a home that doesn’t have an obvious weak spot. Such as a branch that leads to an open window.
