What is Tree Pruning, and Why Should You Prune in the Winter?

Most people have only a vague idea about what tree pruning is all about. McGinty Bros. offers tree pruning as one of our tree care services, but if you don’t understand the importance of it, you’re not likely to hire someone to do it. Keep reading to learn more about tree pruning, so you can make educated choices concerning the care of the trees on your Long Grove, Illinois property.

Tree Pruning: A Concise Definition

Tree pruning is the practice of selectively removing certain branches of the tree for the benefit of the tree’s health and growth.

The Difference Between Pruning and Trimming

Although “pruning” and “trimming” are sometimes used interchangeably, there is a technical difference. Tree trimming has more to do with the way a tree looks. Pruning involves taking away diseased and damaged growth, and also guiding the growth of a young tree.

We Prune Most Trees in the Winter

Winter is almost here, which means our tree care team is gearing up for pruning season. We do tree pruning during the winter for a number of reasons.

• Frozen ground. When the ground is nice and hard, our tree care team can more easily access your trees without leaving ruts on your landscape.
• No leaves. Bare branches are easier to prune than branches that have leaves on them. Also, it’s easier to see the overall structure of your tree with all the leaves out of the way.
• Prepare for winter weather. Winter in the Long Grove area brings wind, snow, and ice along with it. If your trees have damaged, dead, or dying branches, they are more likely to fall under the weight of the snow and ice, or get blown down by gusts of wind. Pruning those branches off may save you some hassle later on in the winter. It could even prevent a heavy branch from damaging some of the structures on your property.
• Less stress on the trees. Pruning a tree when it is not dormant can be stressful for a tree. It will start growing in the spot that was pruned, and the new growth may not harden in time for winter, which often results in disfigurement.
• Less damage on the surrounding landscape. Pruning in winter is good for the tree and for the surrounding plants. The plants around the tree are dormant, too, so it is not likely they will become damaged by the process of pruning. For instance, if our team prunes off a branch, it may fall into a neighboring garden bed. In the summer, that could kill some plants, but in the winter, it doesn’t do any damage.

Certain Trees Can Only Be Pruned in Winter

There are two types of trees that MUST be pruned in the winter: Oaks and Elms.

Why is it necessary to prune Oaks and Elms in the winter? These two types of trees are more vulnerable to diseases, in particular Oak Wilt and Dutch Elm Disease. When the temperatures are cold, none of the parasites, insects, fungi, or bacteria that spread tree diseases are active, so your tree will be much less likely to get a disease if it is pruned in the winter.

Do You Have More Questions About Tree Care?

If you’re like us, talking about tree pruning gets you excited to go out and take care of your trees! Trees are marvelous, beautiful plants, and they can be the real stars of your landscape. Taking good care of them is something you can do to keep your trees healthy, attractive, and safe. Give McGinty Bros. a call, or contact us online to set up a tree care evaluation. We’ll put together a tree care plan, including tree pruning, for all the trees on your Long Grove, Illinois property.