You may be wondering if it’s safe to have your trees trimmed during the winter. Not only is it safe to do this, but getting the job done in the winter actually offers many advantages.

Dormant Trees Are Excellent Candidates

In general, trees in the Northern Hemisphere go dormant during the cold weather months. This means that it’s easier on the tree itself to get pruned in the winter rather than in warmer weather when it’s in full bloom. When dormant, trees aren’t growing.

Trimming trees in the winter therefore gives you the opportunity of shaping your tree from both a cosmetic and productive standpoint before new shoots and buds appear. Also, various bugs that afflict trees aren’t as active in the winter. Doing the necessary shaping and pruning during the winter months helps cut down on the chances that a tree might pick up an infestation or a disease.

Timing Is Everything

All that said, it is best to have the pruning performed later in the winter season when the temperatures aren’t as extreme. Cutting into a tree in the depths of winter can potentially lead to drying out of the trimmed area. This can slow the healing process once the weather finally warms up.

In the case of deciduous trees, it’s also better to do the trimming in the winter than in the summer. With all the leaves off the tree, the actual structure is easier to see. It is also less difficult to reach the areas that need to be trimmed back. Another advantage is that cutting limbs back in the winter reduces the chances of major damage happening if a heavy, wet spring snowstorm blows in once the trees are awake and budding out.

Not Every Tree Qualifies

There are a few cases where winter pruning is not the best choice. With some late-flowering species, certain fruit trees, and pine trees in general, it is ordinarily a good idea to wait until early spring or even later for trimming and pruning. You may have some of these species of trees on your property where it would be preferable to wait until spring.

It isn’t always easy to know which trees should or should not be trimmed in winter without consulting with an experienced, professional arborist. Tree trimming is a bigger and more complex job than most people realize. Doing it properly requires both specialized equipment and safety-conscious crews. For all of your tree trimming and pruning needs this winter, call the tree service experts at The Tree Doctor in Springield, MO today.