Why Is It So Important To Trim Trees At The Right Time Of Year?

If you have trees in your yard and have been thinking of hiring a tree trimming company, you may have heard that it's important to trim trees at a specific time of year. Some trees are best trimmed in the fall. Others are best trimmed in the spring months. Why is this? Why is the time of year so important when it comes to tree trimming? Ultimately, there are a few key factors that come into play here.

Sap Flow

When you cut a tree's branch or limb off, some sap is going to flow out of that limb through the exposed vascular tissues. You can think of this as similar to blood loss. A tree can withstand losing some sap, but the more sap it loses, the harder it is on the tree. For this reason, tree trimmers usually aim to trim trees at times when the sap is not flowing so quickly. Doing so leads to less sap loss overall. 

For most trees, early spring is a time when the sap is flowing slowly. A big exception, though, is maple trees, which have a lot of sap flow at this time. (That's when maple sap is collected to make syrup!) Maple trees, therefore, are better off being trimmed in the fall.

Insect Action

Do you know who likes the sap that flows from tree wounds? Insects. Insects are really active in the late spring and summer, so if you trim a tree at this time, you can expect to see lots of ants and other bugs. If you instead trim the tree in the early spring or fall when the bugs are less active, then you won't see as many bothersome insects.

Fungal Disease

Disease prevention in trees is very important. Most tree diseases are caused by fungal spores, which may be introduced to a tree's internal tissues when you trim the tree. There are a lot fewer fungal spores flowing around when the weather is cold, which is a big reason why trees are trimmed at this time. Cold-weather trimming reduces the risk of oak wilt, Dutch elm disease, and all sorts of other fungal tree diseases. 

If your tree trimmer tells you that there is a better time of year to have your trees trimmed, listen to them. Now, you have a better understanding of when and why they make these recommendations, and why they're so important to follow.

For more information about tree trimming, contact a local company.

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