Is Winter a Good Time for Tree Work?

In short: yes!

Winter is the ideal time for both tree pruning and tree removal work around Philadelphia’s Main Line. Although Spring and Fall are traditionally our busiest seasons, Alex and I encourage you to consider taking care of your tree pruning and tree removals between December and early March.

My plant health care truck is now fully winterized and is parked in its winter resting spot at our yard space. I am in my “off” season now (mid-December through mid-March) when there is no plant health care work to be done. During these months, I get to work with Alex on his tree cutting crew. It is a great opportunity to improve my chainsaw and ropes skills (and remind myself why Alex is so tired when he gets home!). We enjoy the chance to work together in the field during this time of year, learning from one another and our respective areas of expertise.

Reasons why we recommend winter tree care:

1. Winter pruning avoids putting additional stress on the tree. Because the trees are dormant, the tree will not respond to a heavy pruning by expending a great deal of energy to produce new foliage and shoot growth. Especially during times of drought or insect/disease pressure, pruning can be very stressful for the tree and cause undue damage.

2. Winter pruning and removal prevents the spread of insects and diseases. From the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) guide: “Pruning when trees are dormant can minimize the risk of pest problems associated with wound entry and allow trees to take advantage of the full growing season to begin closing and compartmentalizing wounds…A few tree diseases, such as oak wilt, can be spread when pruning wounds allow spores access into the tree.”

3. Winter pruning on deciduous trees (trees that drop their leaves) is ideal when arborists need to see the entire structure of the tree. The lack of foliage increases visibility to dead, cracked or otherwise damaged limbs. It can also be easier to identify weak branch unions where a tree limb has the potential to brake off from the main trunk of the tree. No foliage on the tree can help us make more informed decisions regarding the structure and safety of your tree.

4. No leaves = less debris for Alex and the crew to remove and clean up! Less debris to clean up = quicker time to completion and less material to get rid of at the dump (YES, we do have to pay to get rid of all of the wood chips and leaf debris at the dump). This can result in some very competitively priced winter tree jobs!

5. A frozen ground means less risk of lawn damage! Although we own high-quality ground protection mats, and have turf tires on our Bobcat articulating machine, lawn damage can occur as tree workers use heavy equipment to remove thousands of pounds of wood and debris during a tree job. In the winter, the frozen ground is extremely beneficial in preventing lawn damage. I would strongly encourage you to consider winter tree work if you have a “wet” yard, including issues with storm water runoff, drainage or standing water.

Click on the YouTube link to see the video below. This was an awesome tree job that we completed last January for a customer in Devon, PA. It was 15° Fahrenheit that morning and you can see a few ice patches on the lawn. The ground was frozen solid which made felling the tree and cleanup much more efficient than it may have been at other times of the year.