Trees offer many benefits to the environment and our homes. They provide shade, beauty and often cut down on our energy costs by providing sunlight for interior rooms during the summer months.
However, removing trees can have detrimental effects on wildlife and other plants in your landscape. It’s important to consider this when deciding when to remove trees.
Winter
Despite being a wonderful time of year to enjoy your yard, there are reasons why you may not want to cut down your trees during winter. Those reasons include protecting your property, the safety of your family and your neighbours, and preventing damage to nearby plant life.
However, if your tree is a danger to your property or the health of your loved ones, it’s important to remove it as soon as possible. This is because winter weather can be harsh, accompanied by strong winds and heavy snowfall.
If your tree is deciduous, the best time to prune it is in late fall or early winter. This will help prevent bleeding in spring.
Pruning in winter also gives a tree time to heal from pruning cuts and Tree Removal Cary NC, which can prevent pests and disease from entering the open wounds. It’s also an excellent time to inspect your trees for any insect or disease problems that could have been overlooked during the growing season.
Spring
In spring, trees are spending a lot of energy producing new growth to replace those leaves that have fallen. Pruning during this time can keep the tree from recouping its investment and can make it vulnerable to insect infestation.
For a newly planted tree, it is best to wait at least a year before pruning, allowing the root system to develop and strengthen. Also, this is a time when many pests are active and open wounds can attract them to the tree.
In addition, removing branches during this time can disrupt nesting by resident wildlife such as birds or squirrels. Taking down a nest can result in baby animals being left orphaned, which is very heartbreaking for the family.
Summer
There are a number of reasons why it is best not to remove trees during the summer. This includes the fact that trees need to go through a natural dormant period during this time.
During the dormant period, tree trunks and branches are drier making it more difficult to work with them. This is especially the case when working with sharp tools.
Also, cutting down trees during this time can cause damage to nearby shrubberies and plants. This is because the drier material is more likely to ignite tool sparks.
Nevertheless, there are some instances when pruning may be necessary. Among them are trees that have become overgrown or are structurally weak.
Fall
If you are a homeowner, you are probably already busy trimming back perennials, tidying your yard and getting ready for winter. That’s because fall marks the end of a growing season, and the cool weather feels like closure.
It is also considered a good time to prune trees. However, it’s not recommended to cut down any trees during the fall unless they are dead or weakened.
The reason is simple – cutting trees in the fall encourages new growth that will not have enough time to grow and harden before winter’s extreme temperatures or snowfall.
Trees also enter a dormant state in the winter and this is where they conserve resources so they can focus on healing themselves before sending them to new growth. This will decrease disease and decay risks and improve the overall health of your property and your trees.