Tree Planting and Care

Arborist Advice: Why Should You Prune Your Trees During the Dormant Season?

By Arbor Day Foundation | March 1, 2017

Guest Post by John Lang at Friendly Tree.

The snow may still be falling, but your trees need care during every season. Pruning during the dormant season when buds have yet to open and trees are in hibernation, provides numerous benefits.

“Applying proper pruning techniques at the correct time of year is an essential component of maintaining urban forests,” says Keith Wood, community forestry program manager for the Colorado State Forest Service. “By being proactive and pruning trees during the late winter, residents can help maintain the health, appearance and safety of their trees for the long term.”

Well-maintained trees are an asset to any property, and can actually increase a property’s value by up to 14 percent. A healthy tree in good condition can be worth up to $10,000, proving that maintaining your landscape truly is a good investment.

The Benefits of Pruning in Late Winter and Early Spring

Better Visibility

In the dormant season, foliage isn’t an issue. You (or your arborist) will have a clearer picture of what branches need to be removed and which areas are diseased or problematic. Since branching patterns are easier to see in the dormant season, arborists can also perform structural pruning more easily and make more precise cuts.

Less Intrusive

In the winter months, when outdoor living is at a minimum, an arborist won’t need to worry about disturbing people on the property, garden beds aren’t in bloom and the overall impact to the property is substantially less significant.

Helps Control Disease

During the warm season, fresh cuts are more vulnerable to insects, which are hosts to tree-killing bacteria and fungi. Pruning during the dormant season protects your trees from the spread of disease and makes them less vulnerable to attack once temperatures heat up and insect activity increases.

Some trees, like oaks, should only be pruned during the dormant season because they are especially susceptible to oak wilt disease, which is known to spread extremely fast in the spring and summer.

Faster Healing Process

When you prune a tree, you are actually wounding it. Like people, trees need adequate time to recover from their wounds and bounce back. The dormant season, when trees are already at rest, is the best time for them to heal. Pruning trees before new growth begins exposes them to less stress and allows for more robust new growth in the spring.

Protection from Harsh Weather

Without dense foliage in the way, arborists can get a better picture of the tree’s storm readiness, meaning how it will handle extreme weather. Removing weak and vulnerable branches gives trees more structural strength to withstand severe weather, especially wet spring snows and high winds.

Benefits the Existing Landscape

Purposeful pruning opens the tree’s canopy, allowing more sunlight to reach grass and other plants at a time when light is scarce.

Check out this step-by-step guide on proper pruning.

Saves Time and Money

Dormant season pruning is generally more efficient than pruning during other seasons. Bare limbs allow for better access to trees, which means pruning takes less time. Bare branches are also much lighter than those laden with foliage, which makes them easier to handle, with less potential for damage.

It’s important to note that if a job requires removing large branches, running a chainsaw overhead or removing entire trees or trees near a structure, you should contact an insured, certified arborist.

Your trees take care of you and your property by providing shade, oxygen and aesthetic beauty – now is the time to say “thanks” by giving them the care they need. Proper pruning paves the way for healthy spring growth, giving your trees the best chance to thrive.

About the Author

John Lang is a Certified Arborist and a member of the Friendly Tree team, a family-owned New Jersey tree care service, dedicated to the thoughtful and careful maintenance of your trees and shrubs. Friendly Tree Service has been in business for 26 years and remains passionate about trees and nature. With a highly trained staff that treats every property as their own and state of the art equipment, Friendly Tree is on the cutting edge of the art and science of Arboriculture.

Read 8 Tree Myths Dispelled.

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  • Steven B April 11, 2018 at 10:23 pm

    Thanks for writing this great article. I recently pruned my peach tree, and I’m thinking it may have been a little late in the season. The tree has just started budding. No blossoms yet, just small buds. I guess I’ll find out this year whether I pruned too late or not.

  • Chris S. Martin May 11, 2018 at 2:17 pm

    My husband and I got a few fruit trees and are looking for tips on how to grow them, since we’ve never done this before. I never knew that it caused stress to a tree if it’s pruned during its non-dormant stage. We want them to be as healthy as possible, so we’ll be sure to trim them during the fall or winter.

  • Adam Anderson July 11, 2018 at 6:13 am

    My husband and I got a few fruit trees and are looking for tips on how to grow them, since we’ve never done this before. I never knew that it caused stress to a tree if it’s pruned during its non-dormant stage. We want them to be as healthy as possible, so we call Tree Company Johns Creek

  • Marcus Coons August 13, 2018 at 7:30 pm

    It helped when you mentioned how you can use the winter to better prune your trees. It is important to understand that doing some research can help you find the best way to keep your trees looking great. We are thinking about how we can best care for the old trees in our new yard, so I’m glad I found your page.

  • Link G January 14, 2019 at 6:48 am

    Interesting about the trees being more vunerable to disease during the warm season. It makes sense as I have seen the effect these Fungi can have.

  • Target Trees Norwich January 21, 2019 at 8:16 am

    Nice article John, We are tree surgeon professionals up here in Norfolk. Particularly liked the link to advanced methods of pruning. Appreciate a good read of content that is on point, from one tree specialist to another.

  • JD January 29, 2019 at 10:09 pm

    Great read, people need to know the importance of the winter maintenance for their yard. Once spring and summer roll around here in the southeast, it’s already too hot and late in the season. However, that seems to be the busiest time. For tree pruning and tree trimming. Not to mention, avoiding termites and other insects should be top priority if you want to enjoy your yard at all during the summer.

  • Mike DeVault March 17, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    I always try to tell our clients to prune during the dormant season. Great article and thanks for sharing!

  • Else March 26, 2019 at 11:13 pm

    Thanks for sharing the information with us!

  • Robb April 15, 2019 at 7:14 am

    Great advice for taking care of the plants our surrounding. Thanks for sharing your important information with us.

  • Bree Ward May 1, 2019 at 7:52 pm

    I just moved to a new property last year, and I have been planning to prune its surrounding trees. I’m always thinking about the best season to do it, and your idea of doing it in the dormant season is great advice. As you’ve said, spring pruning can lead the fresh cuts to be infested by insects, fungi, and bacteria because of the warm weather. Well, I don’t want my trees to be destroyed by these pests so I will consider doing it in the cold season. Thanks for the valuable advice.

  • Mark July 16, 2019 at 2:36 pm

    The spread of disease is a HUGE reason to prune the trees. I get the pruning question a lot when talking with homeowners.

  • Lowell August 9, 2019 at 11:00 am

    This is an excellent, well laid out list. So perfect to share with customers! Sort of a cheat sheet to reference when considering pruning trees.

  • Eli Richardson September 6, 2019 at 11:02 am

    My wife and I just moved, and there are a few trees that are next to my garage that need to be trimmed. I liked how you said that it is best to trim the trees when there are no leaves to make the prosses faster. We will reach out to a professional once the leaves have fallen.

  • John Smith September 8, 2019 at 10:03 pm

    Great advice about the importance of pruning. Removal of bad limbs is very important for the health of the tree.

  • Tree Professionals September 12, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    Pruning is for sure one the best things you can do for not only the appearance of your yard, but also to keep your trees healthy and strong! Nice article.

  • Olivia Ray September 20, 2019 at 10:57 am

    It is good to know that you should cut your trees during the dormant seasons because an open cut can cause a disease or even fungi. We are thinking that our trees need to be trimmed because of how big they are getting. I will have to call a tree service at the beginning of the winter months.

  • Hastings Tree Surgeon September 22, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    This is definitely some handy information for the consumer and definitely helps the industry that you share information like this.

    Awesome share

  • Waukesha Tree Service October 1, 2019 at 6:54 pm

    I love the more in depth look at the proper time to prune. There is so much info out there and sometimes its just not true. Thanks for writing the whys and not just saying when to do it.

  • Ellie Davis February 20, 2020 at 8:38 am

    My husband and I moved to our new house, and we are looking for advice about how to take care of our new garden. It’s interesting to know that calling a tree service company to work in your garden during the winter will ensure they will not disturb your neighbors since most of the people stay indoors. I will consider seriously your recommendations to contact a tree service company during the winter to keep our trees healthy.