Tree Trimming: Why You Should Act Fast Before Spring

Believe it or not, the best time to trim your tree is around February and March. This transitional time from winter to spring is ideal for tree trimming for two reasons:

• It’s cold enough that your trees are still dormant
• It’s warm enough that your trees will actively grow soon

If you’re not sure why your tree being dormant or it approaching active growing is so important, then don’t worry—we’ll quickly break down why they matter. Today, we’re discussing why you should trim your trees today if you want to keep them safe and healthy.

Dormant Tree Trimming Minimizes Injuries and Disease

Just like us, trees have immune and circulatory systems that they rely on to fight infection and stay healthy. Take tree sap for instance—just as humans rely on blood cells to help us grow and heal, sap carries hydration, energy, and growth hormones throughout a tree. So just like us getting a cut and losing blood, cutting a tree’s limb can cause it to lose sap, which weakens its growth and makes it more susceptible to disease.

So, it’s easy to see why minimizing sap loss is essential to a tree’s health. But why does choosing a cold season to prune your trees help? Well, most trees (except for evergreens) enter a dormant season or “hibernation” during the winter, where they produce less sap, which means you can minimize sap loss. At the same time, most of a tree’s harmful pests (such as funguses and insects) are also naturally dormant during the winter, so you can prune your tree without raising the risk of a possibly devastating infestation.

The Coming Spring Warmth Will Allow Your Tree to Heal

So, we know that tree trimming during the cold season protects the tree and minimizes harm—so why can’t you just prune it at any point of the winter? Well, for one reason: because a dormant tree also can’t heal. With the spring approaching, your tree will soon “wake up.” When that happens, it will identify that a branch is missing, and allocate the resources it needs to heal and grow.

At the same time, the inside of a tree isn’t supposed to be exposed to the world—it’s supposed to be protected by a layer of bark. The longer the inside of a tree is exposed to bitter, cold conditions, the greater the likelihood is that it could freeze and die.

Get Tree Trimming from Kalamazoo Arborists Today

Now is the best time to trim your trees to keep them safe, healthy, and growing. With only a little effort and investment now, you can save yourself a huge amount of trouble and money later. To request professional tree trimming and tree pruning services, click here to contact us today!