TREE TRIMMING PREPARATION FOR WINTER
I know it’s not even August.. but as fall approaches it’s important to assess our trees’ health and secure their safety through the winter months. The threat of winter breakage and damage are higher this year due to all the rain we have received. Tree limbs are heavier than usual from all the extra water they drank during those downpours. Roots and surrounding soils have become soggy and less secure. As you can imagine, these conditions create a collection of risks. Nevertheless, you don’t need to worry about anything since we got you covered. Read on to learn how you can protect your trees and how we can help!
Above is a great example of why preventative pre-winter pruning is so important. Keep in mind that pre winter pruning is not to be mistaken for dormant pruning which we will dig deeper into later.
The diagram above shows what we call a crown reduction. The crown of a tree is the overall canopy. When we perform a crown reduction, we are basically just shrinking the tree down to a more manageable and reasonable size. Removing some extra branches and most importantly eliminating additional weight. This helps the tree in many ways. It lightens the trees work load, by creating less limbs to feed nutrients to and reduces the risks of damage. Similar to when you brush or groom a dog’s hair, it makes them feel lighter and cooler! Tree’s are constantly growing so all these branches will grow back, and pruning will need to be done again after a couple years but your tree’s will thank you for keeping up with a nice trim regularly.
Pre-Winter Pruning VS. Dormant Pruning
| Pre-Winter Pruning | Dormant Pruning |
| Reduces tree’s weight and risk of damage | Pruning during dormancy protects certain tree species from sickness |
| Reduces amount of energy needed to survive over winter | Reduces stress during pruning as tree is “sleeping” |
| Higher success rate in springtime | More aggressive with larger cuts to create more vigorous growth in springtime |
Both pre-winter Pruning and dormant pruning are important in the survival and safety of our trees. Each tree is different and deciding which route to take can be tricky, that’s where Autumn Tree comes in. Our arborists can advise the best plan to keep your trees healthy and thriving! Give us a call today and we can set up a free estimate or click the link below!