When the weather cools off, trees prepare to take a rest for the winter. It may be a break time for trees, but arborists keep working all winter long trimming trees.  Winter is an ideal time for tree pruning in Toronto. Why? During the winter months trees become dormant. That’s when their growth pauses and metabolism slows as they wait for the temperature to warm up for spring blooms.

In winter, trees focus energy only on keeping alive and well instead of producing new shoots or leaves. Just like bears hibernate with a full stomach of food and lower their activity in the winter, so do trees. Restorative work is happening inside: trees (and bears!) are putting energy towards recovering from wounds and healing. The dormant period lasts from after leaves have fallen in the fall, until new growth starts budding in early spring.

What Is the Dormant Season for Trees?

What does it really mean that your trees are dormant? Deciduous trees enter the dormant season when they drop their leaves, and exit it when new buds form in springtime. Trees become dormant to protect themselves from the cold and to contend with less available water. The lower light levels also propel trees into dormancy. Think of dormancy like winter hibernation for trees.

During the dormant season, trees are saving up their energy to produce buds, leaves, and new branch grow in spring. As you might imagine, all that growth takes a lot of energy. Once daylight hours increase, the tree begins to wake up again and resume their regular growth processes. But while they are resting, you as a property owner can take advantage of the dormancy.

Why Is the Dormant Season Great for Tree Pruning?

1. Reduced Stress on Trees

    Pruning is often not recommended in the heat of summer, and that’s because trees are putting their energy into active growth. Pruning can create more stress for the tree then, disrupting the growth and storage processes, and even potentially weakening the tree.

    But in winter, there’s no active growth. The tree is in a low-energy state, meaning that branch removal will have little impact on its overall health.

    2. Minimal Risk of Pests and Disease

    Trees aren’t the only ones to go into dormant states in the wintertime. Pests and pathogens like fungi and bacteria also become dormant or less active. Pruning inherently leaves ‘open wounds’ on a tree, which are more vulnerable to pests and disease. But when those adversaries aren’t active, they don’t pose a threat, or pose a much smaller threat. Most insects that pose risks are also inactive in winter. 

    Without these enemies around, winter is an ideal time to prune without worrying about infection or infestation.

    3. Improved Access and Visibility

    Sometimes, clients are sure that if we work on their tree in the off season, we won’t be able to see where the problems lie — that branch where the leaves are dying off, or haven’t grown for the last couple years. Not to worry — you’re dealing with professionals, and we can assess a limb’s health without leaves. In fact, the lack of leaves makes it easier to see the structure of branches and the tree.

    This clear view lets us make better decisions on which branches to remove, promoting the tree’s health and desired shape. The lack of leaves can also help facilitate access to the inner structure of the tree, especially in large trees with dense canopies.

    tree branches damaging shingles

    4. Encouraging Healthy Spring Growth

    Think of pruning a little like spring cleaning for your tree. Pruning it in winter can prepare it for a burst of new growth in the spring. Winter pruning cleans it up by removing dead, diseased, or damaged branches, so that the tree isn’t putting energy into trying to grow these branches in springtime. Instead, it will focus energy on active growth of healthy branches, leading to more robust flowering, fruiting, or overall growth for the coming spring and summer seasons.

    5. Preventing Winter Storm Damage

    Winter snowfall isn’t always gentle snowflakes and cozy blankets of snow. Storms can mean heavy, wet snow, or layers of ice, vicious freeze-thaw cycles, and intense winds. Weak and overextended branches are the first to break and thaw in these conditions. Pruning in late fall or early winter gets these potential hazards out of the way before the winter storms start. 

    You’ll reduce the risk of these branches breaking under the weight of snow or ice. And we promise: It’s way easier to get an arborist out for early winter pruning than when big limbs land on your garage (along with other inconvenient locations around the city) during the middle of an ice storm.

    6. The Rest of Your Yard Is Dormant Too

    Worried about debris landing on your prize rose bed or dahlias when you get that big maple tree pruned? In wintertime, flower and vegetable gardens are typically dormant as well, eliminating any concern for working around these elements. If it’s a big job around landscaped space, frozen ground also helps reduce any potential damage from moving equipment or disposal trucks around.

    Do Evergreens Have a Dormant Season Too?

    Evergreen trees also experience dormancy, but it’s less obvious than with deciduous trees. Evergreens simply pause their growth during the colder months. Evergreens lose leaves or needles throughout the year, not all at once. But like deciduous trees, they go through a period where growth cycles stop and only essential life cycles continue. This helps protect evergreens from the winter as well.

    This period of dormancy can also be advantageous for pruning evergreens. Some of the advantages of pruning a dormant deciduous tree, like improved branch visibility, won’t apply, but others, like the reduced risks of pests and fungi and the potential for vibrant spring growth, are applicable to evergreens as well.

    Choose Winter Tree Pruning

    The natural dormant cycles of trees and nature make winter an ideal time for tree pruning and trimming. This cycle helps to reduce stress, minimize disease risk, and prepare the tree for vigorous spring growth. Winter also has lots of practical advantages for access and visibility, along with maintaining safety from storm damage.

    Do your dormant trees need some attention? Book your winter pruning now!