5 Good Reasons to Perform Tree Work in the Winter
You might think that when summer and fall end, that should also be the end of any work you do on the trees of your property, but this is not really the case. In fact, there are good reasons why you should perform at least some tree maintenance even during the wintertime. For instance, dead branches should be removed so they don’t have to bear the weight of winter snow and ice, and if they should fall under that weight, it could cause damage to your house or to the yard. Dormant pruning will make these trees safer and will remove hazardous branches which can cause problems in your yard. There are other less spectacular reasons for doing some wintertime tree maintenance which you should also take into consideration.
Assessing tree health
Once all the leaves have fallen off your deciduous trees, it will be much easier to identify dead branches or those which are ailing. This is the perfect opportunity for dormant pruning, which will help to keep your trees healthy and looking their best. It’s also a good time to remove branches that might otherwise become a haven for wood-hungry insects and other vermin. Another advantage to dormant pruning is that it’s far less likely to spread any diseases which might be present among your trees. The bacteria, parasites, insects, and fungi which are very active during the summertime can quickly spread the disease to different parts of your trees, and since these are all inactive during the winter, there is very little chance of spreading the disease through pruning.
Use of heavy equipment
If you need a large pruning job done, or the entire removal of a tree on your premises, it will generally be necessary to bring in some type of heavy equipment. During winter, the ground will generally be frozen in the northern states, so it’s easier to bring in that equipment without causing any damage to a homeowner’s yard. By making use of this kind of efficient equipment, the cost of an operation can be kept down, so it will be less expensive to have the work done during winter.
Less stress on the trees
Research has shown that winter may be one of the best times to carry out extensive pruning on your trees because there’s less stress on the trees themselves at that time. By doing dormant pruning, you will be providing the trees with more time to heal from the cuts made, before the heat of spring or summer brings back all the attacking bugs and diseases. Whenever cuts are made into a tree, it provides an entranceway for bugs and other nasty things to attack the inner part of the tree, and since bugs and fungi are inactive during the wintertime, there is much less chance of any kind of infection or attack being made on your trees during winter. When spring rolls around months later, your trees will have had time to undergo maximum wound closure and will be better prepared for the onslaught warm weather always brings.
Prepares for spring growth
When trees have been properly pruned during the wintertime, that prepares them much better for springtime growth. With dead and diseased branches having been trimmed away, no energy will be wasted on trying to fuel them for new growth during spring, and all energy will instead be focused on healthy branches. After a winter trimming, most trees are prepared to reproduce more abundantly and to enjoy more vigorous growth as the weather begins to warm up. This will always result in healthier, better-looking trees on your property.
