The primary consideration when it comes to pruning trees and shrubs should always be safety. Pruning should be used to eliminate defective or poorly positioned branches in order to avoid personal injury or damage to property. While inactive pruning (from late winter to early spring) is often recommended, there are plenty of good reasons to prune trees and shrubs in summer. However, the worst time to prune a tree is during the spring and summer months.
This is when the tree is actively pedaling and its resources are exhausted after spending so much energy to produce foliage and new shoots. Energy is needed to properly seal wounds caused by cuts, and trees don't heal as much as they are sealed, through a process called Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees (CODIT). Sometimes we have to break this rule to eliminate dead branches or branches that affect a structure. Other than that, most major pruning must be done in the fall and winter months.
This is when trees are inactive and have a large amount of energy stored. They can better disperse this energy to deal with fresh cuts. This also happens when insects and beetles are less active. Pests are attracted to fresh cuts and can take advantage of this exposure to cause more damage.
Beetles transfer tons of fungi and can cause a wide spread of diseases. Pruning in late fall or early winter means that the tree's wounds stay fresh until spring. But for the best results, it's important to get familiar with your tree. A full-service tree care company can also help clean up after a tree has fallen, prepare the garden for a new tree or fresh grass.
This new growth requires the tree to spend energy and can cause a deterioration in health if the tree or shrub was stressed, in poor health, or grew in unfavorable conditions before the pruning was carried out. Consulting one of the tree care experts at Old Town Tree & Landscaping LLC is highly recommended for further discussion on proper pruning practices and proper tree care. The City of Winchester Tree Division has partnered with the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) and Reading Landscapes, Inc. This program aims to create a safe, healthy and attractive tree canopy by replacing trees that are overripe and declining from the public right of way that are in conflict with overhead power lines.
From public parks and garden trees to greenway corridors and buffers next to streams, trees provide fundamental benefits to people and communities. Therefore, if the tree needs to be felled, it's probably best to leave it to a tree care service or an arboricultural professional with years of experience. Old Town Tree & Landscaping LLC focuses on providing high-quality tree care and customer satisfaction. But if the tree needs to be felled, Maryland recommends calling a certified arborist for an evaluation first.
This video is part of a series, Trees for Energy Conservation, developed by the Southern Regional Forest Extension and the Virginia Cooperative Technology Extension with funding provided by a grant from the National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. The manual provides guidance on the proper care of trees, from planting a tree to maintenance and care throughout the life of the tree.
