What Is The Best Time of Year To Prune A Tree?
Tree pruning, trimming and shaping has many purposes. Thinning or pruning dead limbs will reduce the chance of limbs or trees from falling unexpectedly. Thinning a tree with a significant canopy will allow wind to blow through the tree without putting undo pressure on the branches.
Tree removal, (http://www.jltree.com/tree-removal-northern-virginia.html) removing damaged, decayed or crossing branches will limit the chance of damage during ice storms.. Consider how a dying branch, is not solid as a healthy branch. It is considerably more porous. Heavy rains penetrate the branches. The water freezes and then expands within the limbs. This causes breakage, often ripping down limbs and exposing areas of healthy branches, which were healthy.
Large sections of trees are often lost needlessly. Some trees are so damaged that they become unsightly. Consider what it would cost to replace the tree, compared to what it would cost to perform preventative maintenance. Replacement of the tree is usually cost prohibitive.
Now consider the loss of the tree to the landscape. Is this tree essential to your landscape? Does it provide substantial shade? Is this tree used for screening?
Benefits of performing winter pruning:
1. It is less expensive - Most pruning jobs are less expensive in the winter. It is not because it is less important in the winter, it is because most people are not thinking about tree care (http://www.jltree.com/tree-care.html)when they are spending more time indoors. Quality tree care companies typically reduce their rates, at this time, as there is less demand for tree services (http://www.jltree.com/tree-service-fairfax-virginia.html).
2.It is cold outside- Trees are dormant in the winter. Sap does not flow as much in the winter months. For many trees this is an important factor. It also limits the unsightly sap stains on the trees.
3.Leaves are gone- Deciduous trees leaves have fallen, therefore there is less debris when trimming your trees. chipping removed branches and cleaning up of removed debris requires less effort this time of year. So how do tree cutting and tree trimming service providers determine a dead branch versus a live branch without leaves? An experienced tree climber can tell the difference. This is a picture of a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) tree limb, one dead and one alive. The dead limb is a bit discolored, cracked, and dried out. The live limb has a healthier more rich color tone, and is more flexible. You can also see that the new growth is more abundant than the dead limb. The texture of the dead branch is rough while the texture of the live branch is smooth. If you try to break the dead limb, it's easy to snap apart. If you try to snap the live limb, it's more difficult and will cut by its live moist wood. Live limbs often have vibrant terminal buds, and dead branches terminal buds are dried up, dark brown or black, or completely non-existent depending on how long the branch has been dead. Depending on the tree species, dead branches generally sag, and live limbs are usually more erect.
Typically, when a tree professional is up in a tree it is easier to recognize dead branches than from the ground. The sunlight provides help from above. From the ground there is a shadow under the canopy making it challenging to see subtle differences. The ideal way to trim or prune a tree is naturally. Pruning naturally means that only diseased, dying, dead, jagged, split, or improperly balanced branches are removed. Sometimes it is helpful to remove live branches, especially if a tree is potentially hazardous and leaning. If a large heavy limb is on the side of the lean and the tree has grown towards a structure, then by removing this large limb (leader) you. A trees canopy and weight of large limbs has a lot to do with why a tree falls in a storm. Especially a tree is not diseased or dead, but there are other possibilities for a large tree to tumble over in a storm.
Tree cutting, trimming, pruning, & shaping are necessary tasks. It is our responsibility as property owners to maintain our trees and keep our yards and neighbors safe. Performing tree work of any kind in the winter is a wise choice on the annual tree maintenance budget. So put on a warm jacket, get out there in that cold weather, and get those trees pruned!
A certified Arborist (http://www.jltree.com/removal.html) is a trained and tested tree care professional.
