Winter Pruning

Winter is a great time of year to prune your trees, especially oaks. October through March is the "no-risk of oak wilt" time to prune. Other benefits of winter pruning include:

• Defective tree parts such as dead, cracked or broken branches, and weak forks or branch unions are more visisble when the tree has no leaves.
• Trees are able to adapt to branch loss by altering the size or number of leaves produced the next spring.
• Risk of spreading diseases are slight to none because tree pathogens are dormant.
• Professional tree care companies are more available, as summer proves to be their busiest season.
• If heavy equipment is needed for pruning, such as a bucket truck, little or no lawn damage will occur on the frozen soil.
• Development of callus tissue during the next summer is more rapid on cuts made in the winter.

When Pruning Keep Safety in Mind-

• Remove branches that are broken, dead, or damaged, so they don't fall and cause injury or property damage.
• Leave pruning near power lines to a professional. Call your power company for information.
• Train a young tree to have one main trunk by pruning off double leaders (branches that turn up and compete with the main trunk.)

When Pruning Keep Tree Health in Mind-

• Look for roots that are visible above ground and curl around the stem of the tree. Remove these if you see them. Girdling roots will strangle to tree if they are not removed.
• Remove a branch that rubs on an object that could damage the bark.
• Remove low vigor or diseased branches.
• If two branches rub or cross remove the less desirable one.
• When pruning for appearance consider the natural shape of the tree as well as the tree's intended function, i.e. wind protection, shade, etc.

The Act of Pruning-

Begin pruning by inspecting the tree from top to bottom and forming a plan of work. It is important to follow the proper pruning procedures so that you don't jeopardize your tree's health.

• Use sharp tools and make smooth cuts.
• Make your cuts at branch unions.
• Do not make flush cuts, leave branch collar and branch bark ridge unharmed (Fig. 1.)
• Do not make stub cuts. If a branch stub is left it serves as a corridor to the main trunk for insects and diseases.
• If a branch is too large to hold in your hand, use three cuts to remove it. this will prevent bark damage to the main trunk.
• The first cut should be a notch on the underside of the branch, a foot or two out from the branch union. The notch should be 1/3 to 1/2 way through the branch.
• The second cut should be a straight cut on the outer side of the notch.
• The third and final cut should be at the branch union (Fig. 2.)

If you are not confident in the pruning needs of your trees consult your local certified arborist.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2