Dormant Tree Trimming in Indianapolis
My phone blew up with the recent unexpected warmth (a blessed 67 degrees in mid February). People flocked outside, began thinking about their trees and started calling their local Indianapolis arborist: “when should I trim my trees”? I’ll share the love and answer that question here, but it’s worth noting that when you trim less important than how you trim (mostly).
(P.S- If you’re the kind of person who values credentials, I’m an ISA certified arborist also certified in tree risk assessment and prescription pruning.)
When Should I Trim My Trees?
Don’t shoot the messenger, but my answer to this is “when the risk outweighs the benefit the tree is providing”. I don’t care if it’s winter or summer, if you have a newly cracked 3,000lb limb squarely over your house it doesn’t matter if it’s primetime for transmission of oak wilt, dutch elm disease or any other threatening tree fungus- the cracked branch needs dealt with. I will note that non-invasive solutions beyond pruning exist, like dynamic tree cabling, but in every situation risks weigh against benefits, whether July or January.
I’m going to assume, though, that most people asking this question don’t have an imminent concern. I suspect if you did you would’ve googled “cracked branch tree trimming service near me” not “when should I trim my trees”. For those genuinely trying to learn, the answer to “when should I prune my tree” is almost always dormancy. In Indianapolis we are in zone 6a (check the full map here), and dormancy will vary slightly by year and by species. That said, you can pretty regularly count on December through early March, with a little bit of give on either side.
Reasons For Trimming Trees in Winter
Tree trimming in winter avoids a host of problems like fungi, insects, drought and more. I’ll first focus on fungi and I’ll make it personal- my very own prized backyard apple tree. This tree is my only shade, has a swing, a hammock and looks gorgeous; I will be devastated if it dies. When it’s June my apple tree is covered in cedar apple rust (inevitably I never spray in time), spores that have settled on the leaves just from the wind blowing in it’s direction. Left untreated, these leaves will fall off and reduce the energy production for the tree. You can imagine that June isn’t the best time to be cutting into a tree, exposing live tissue and forcing the tree to divert energy to healing those wounds.
Speaking of open wounds, some of those wounds attract insects which carry fungi (see this article from University of Minnesota or this article from University of Illinois). Unfortunately, the wrong fungus can kill susceptible trees in weeks. Susceptible species include red oak, elm, birch and ash (you knew that last one already though). Feel free to try and look up the last confirmed case in your area before coming to your own conclusions!
Beyond avoiding tree stressors, a big reason I like to prune in Winter is to see the entire branch structure of the tree. Since structural pruning and risk mitigation pruning focus so much on aspect ratios (helpfully explained by Ed Gilman out of University of Florida in this article) this visibility is pivotal. Simply put, you cannot fully see how aspect ratios affect growth and structure when trees are in leaf. I used to think referencing the visibility was a con-man sales tactic to provide work for the winter, but time has changed my opinion- I now know I can do a better pruning with Winter’s visibility. Similarly, can catch what I DON’T need to prune in addition to everything I DO need to prune in winter. It’s not impossible to accomplish an effective structural prune when trees have leafed out, but the branch structure is objectively more obscured.
A Plug For Structural Tree Pruning in Indianapolis
In that paragraph above I mention Ed Gilman, the most prominent voice in pruning in the United States. His research includes pruning one of two structurally similar trees, placing them in front of a jet engine propeller and videoing the impacts - pretty impressive stuff.
Ed’s research has definitively shown the opportunity to positively affect the structural integrity of a tree through focused pruning in the first few years of its life. Unfortunately, most people only pursue tree work when there is an imminent concern, like a dead branch over the playset or branches brushing up against the house. Take my word for it. Have a certified arborist in Indianapolis (it doesn’t have to be me) look at trees that are less than 30ft tall in your yard. For dollar figures like $450-$700 (which is peanuts when it comes to removing trees later on) you can help your tree avoid bigger costs later on, improve the structural stability and set it up to look beautiful for the long haul. Please take my word for it, and trim your trees while they are young.
Know what? I wasn’t even planning on that being my concluding thesis, but it will be. Prune trees when they are young. When should you pursue tree trimming in Indianapolis IN? When they are YOUNG (and in the wintertime)!
P.S- There are thousands of pages on appropriate pruning out there; this article is introductory and not exhaustive!
