Why Winter Is a Great Time for Pruning Trees

Published On: January 31st, 20222.9 min read

You’re probably not thinking about your trees much now that winter is here and the leaves have all fallen. Believe it or not, now would be the time to consider tree trimming. Pruning is best done in the winter.

Read below to find out the benefits of tree pruning in winter months.

Beating the Pests

Many of the pests and diseases that might infect trees through pruning cuts are also dormant throughout the winter. This makes winter pruning ideal.

However, for certain trees, winter is the only season to think about pruning. Oaks are a good example since they are particularly vulnerable to insect infestations and oak wilt, a fungal disease that may be quite damaging.

Trees Do Get Stressed

Pruning during the active growing season can put your trees under stress. It can also stimulate new growth that won’t be able to harden before the weather cools.

During the winter, trees go dormant, making it the ideal time to do dormant pruning. Trees may heal more quickly because they have larger energy stores.

Increase the Trees Yield

Pruning when the tree’s leaves have all fallen off makes it easy to see the optimum spots to prune to keep the tree’s structural integrity.

It also makes vulnerable areas, such as broken or diseased branches, easier to notice. This improves the efficiency of your trimming, resulting in a healthier tree and reduced danger.

Tree Pruning in Winter Makes Your Property Prettier

Winter tree maintenance and pruning allow you to shape your trees so that they grow in the best way possible for your property, whether it’s to prevent interfering with structures or walkways, or to promote or restrain growth. Pruning your trees in the winter is also beneficial to nearby plant material, as most of it is dormant and hence less likely to be disturbed.

Additionally, because the ground is firmer, there is less possibility of equipment creating soil compaction.

Improves Tree Safety

In the winter, trees that are damaged, dead, or dying can be dangerous, especially when we have storms that bring wind, ice, or snow. Dormant pruning is done to remove any potential problems before the trees endanger the safety of your home and family. It also rejuvenates weaker trees by removing dead and diseased wood, making them safer.

Is Winter the Only Season to Prune Trees?

No, you can still prune and cut back trees in Spring and Summer, although there are often different reasons for pruning.

Here are a few warm weather pruning benefits.

  • Removing deadwood that is difficult to identify in the winter (on some tree species, it is difficult to tell if a limb is dead until the emergence from tree dormancy)
  • Improving the tree’s overall appearance once it has leafed out
  • Improve air circulation and to allow more light into the interior, open up the tree
  • Cutting back shrubs and trees that have grown too large or are in the way

Some underlying flaws are not visible or cannot be noticed until the tree has fully leafed out, while other concerns emerge as the tree grows. Branches and trees that are dead, damaged, or sick should, of course, be removed as soon as possible, regardless of the season.

Get Cutting!

If you are apprehensive of tree pruning in winter months, take it slowly or call in the services of a professional tree surgeon. Contact us today to request a tree services estimate for your property!

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Kyle LeDonne
Kyle LeDonne
2023-07-07
Fast, friendly service, definitely recommended. Great follow through, work was completed on time and with minimal damage to the lawn. Lindsey and Justin were awesome!
Ann Caranci
Ann Caranci
2023-06-20
We had the A-team on our big job of 14+ trees (13 dead ash) in 3 different areas of our property, none of which were particularly easy to get to. With the added bonus of having drainage throughout the yard and avoiding the septic tank. I had 3 other companies come and look, one ghosted me!! 1 came and said no thank you, the third gave me a similar quote to Justin's, but you could tell he didn't want the job and wasn't as clear about how he'd go about it. Justin came in and was completely confident on how his team could get it done. And with a bucket truck - no cranes needed. (two of the above were talking cranes). Kyle, Kyle and Not Kyle (Cody) were great!! They worked hard and got it all done in 3 days!! They were nice, easy to talk to, piled the massive amount of trees in a great spot for the log truck. I thought taking down dead trees wouldn't open things up that much, but wow did it! I love how open and cleared out everything looks!! Lindsey and Kate were fabulous and accommodating talking about the cost of the job and log truck. And now I can add flowers and plants in the brighter area. FYI probably not going to plant trees... but some rhodies if I can keep the deer off them. (O: Thank you to ArborTech!! Cheers, until I can budget for the backyard.
Gabe Godfrey
Gabe Godfrey
2023-06-13
The tree estimate and removal process had a quick turnaround (one week) and was coordinated around my schedule. Very accommodating. The team that showed up for the job was very professional and asked questions along the way to better meet my needs. Very affordable and highly recommend to anyone needing work done with trees!
Dawn Bradshaw
Dawn Bradshaw
2023-06-01
I more than appreciate great workers...your crew is amazing! the physical ability, the mathematical knowledge even if innate, and the eye for art (cleaning up my white pines to beautiful trees) is a hard combo to find in someone. Your climber has all those skills and more. Your pricing was very reasonable! The care your crew took to ensure everything was clean and in better condition than when they came was more than apreciated by me. Even my neighbors said something! Thank you! I will call you again for future tree maintenance!
Ursula Wiebusch
Ursula Wiebusch
2023-05-22
We enjoy working with the Arbortech team, from start to finish. Professional and respectful. We just had 8, 100 ft + trees removed and could not be happier with the results. We recommend Arbortech.
SMO'T
SMO'T
2023-04-25
Arbortech is a great business to deal with. They did a big job quickly, professionally, and left our property in good condition. Lindsey, Justin, and their crews were all terrific. Highly recommend.
Laura Flavell
Laura Flavell
2023-04-15
I needed to have a large Norway maple tree removed and wanted to get at least three estimates. Eric's tree service came out and gave me a somewhat reasonable quote of $3500, then a week later before I had gotten another estimate from a different company Eric's tree service texted me and said they'd be in the area the following week, I called them and they said they had to revisit the estimate. They came back out continued to tell me her personal problems and that my neighbor would have to move his trailer. She then sent me a new quote of $7231!!! I called Arbortech and Justin came over on the day scheduled and was my most reasonable quote! He also said my neighbor wouldn't need to move his trailer. Justin and his crew arrived on time and did a phenomenal job!! They are true professionals! They cleaned up everything. They had had to remove a fence panel and when they put it back it was more secure than it had been when it had been originally installed. Justin's quote was $4700 less than Eric's! This experience with Arbortech was purely positive I highly recommend this company! Thank you Justin, Lindsey and the rest of the crew, you guys rock!!
ILost MyShoe
ILost MyShoe
2023-04-13
The service I received from everyone at Arbortech for a tree removal was absolutely wonderful. Any questions and concerns I had were answered and reassured. Justin and Lindsey were both so helpful and the value I paid for this service was outstanding. Super reasonable, and I would recommend Arbortech to anyone in need of any tree service. Super grateful and happy. If I could figure out how to add pictures to my review, I would. They did an incredible job with not just the tree removal itself, but also with a brush pile I also had taken care of. Again, highly recommend Arbortech for anyone who is in need of any type of tree service. Couldn’t be more pleased!