Here’s the best piece of advice about trimming trees: hire a professional. As much of a macho-man bubble burst that may be, it’s the unsexy, honest truth. The risk in climbing a tree with a chainsaw dangling at your hip is, we hope, apparent. That said, if you want to spend some time fantasizing about what it’s like to be a pro, or if you want a better education on how the pros you paid a premium will be doing the job, we asked a true professional — Mark Chisholm, a New Jersey Certified Tree Expert, 21-time state-champion tree climber and three-time champion at the ISA International Tree Climbing Championship. Along with his dad and brother, he runs Aspen Tree Expert Co. of Jackson, NJ and serves as President Elect of the NJ Arborists Chapter. He walked us through how to properly prune your tree this fall, as winter storms roll in and those foreboding branches start looming a bit closer to the living room.