Landscape’s Guide to Winter Tree Inspection, Pruning, and Trimming Trees

Before spring arrives, consider a few things to consider about your trees and shrubs and what might have happened to them in the past few months.

Your trees and shrubs are still dormant, so now is the best time to get outside and perform winter tree and shrub inspections throughout your property before transitioning into spring. Because the wood is exposed, most weaknesses and structural imperfections are more visible.

A thorough inspection will help you identify and triage potential problems and risks that may have arisen over the past few months, ultimately saving you a lot of time, money and headaches.

What to look for,

Damaged limbs, broken or cracked canopy imbalance due to severe ice, snow and/or high winds. Unusual leaning of the trunk or tree indicates that the root system may be lifted. In winter, snowmelt and rainfall can occur simultaneously, leading to pools and flooding. Winter drying or ‘winter burn’ of evergreens and shrubs. Assess tree stability by looking for weak, poorly attached ‘V’ shaped joints/segments where stem attachment may fail. The ‘U’ shaped join/crotch is usually strong.

Infestation – Look for small holes or loose bark that can indicate sunburn, bugs, disease and/or pest damage.

With these few proactive tips, you can keep your trees and shrubs healthy all year round. Before saying goodbye to the old man in winter

Examine the entire landscape environment. Prune dead, dying, or unsafe branches before spring growth. Late pruning in the warmer months can spread unwanted diseases and lead to pest infestations.

Welcome spring with open arms

✓ Prepare for healthy growth by removing debris such as fallen leaves, tree branches, and candy grains.
✓ Provides nutrients to trees and shrubs to promote growth and help fight disease, pests and pest infestations.
✓ Plant new trees and shrubs so they can take root before the summer heat hits.

✓ Spread 2 to 4 inches of mulch well to improve soil moisture.

Reasons for pruning

Aesthetics – Lush trees blocking the other structures of a house or building. Pruning encourages better growth, fruit and flowers.

Safety – An overstretched or dead branch can cause damage to a home or person, which is far more expensive than performing tree maintenance services.

Health – Proper pruning of trees and shrubs promotes healthy, strong and vigorous growth. Dead or diseased limbs that are not cared for can make a tree or shrub unhealthy.

Winter – This is the best time to prune as most trees are dormant. Winter pruning promotes spring growth, so pruning should be done after the coldest winter.

If you miss the spring-winter pruning option, it’s never too late to remove dead or diseased branches and do a safe pruning. As your landscaping comes to life, these branches will stand out even more.

Summer – Pruning in summer slows the growth of unwanted branches. Do not remove more than 20% of living growth.

Fall – Fall is not a good time to remove live growth because of the mold that usually causes rot. Cutting and removing branches essentially scars the tree and makes it more susceptible to disease. These wounds heal more slowly in the fall.

Flowering – Pruning of flowering trees after the flowers have withered.