As the growing season winds down, it’s time to think ahead to the cold-weather tasks before us, and that includes winter pruning to ensure the health of trees and the safety of the people who live with them. In this encore episode, master arborist and tree preservationist Basil Camu joins me to share the winter tree care tips you need to know.
Basil is the “chief vision officer and wizard of things” at North Carolina-based tree care company Leaf & Limb, and he leads the nonprofit Project Pando, which gathers native seeds, propagates them and distributes the seedlings for free. He also wrote the book “From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape,” which he offers as a free e-book, or if you like, a hardcover edition available for cost of printing and shipping.
Master arborist Basil Camu is the “chief vision officer and wizard of things” of Leaf & Limb, a tree care company that refuses to remove living trees, and the leader of Pando Project, a nonprofit that collects native seeds, propagates them and gives away the seedlings. (Photo Credit: Tessa Williams, Media Director at Leaf & Limb)
Basil shares that winter tree care isn’t just about aesthetics. It mitigates the risk that a tree drops a limb or falls over, which can damage property and cause injury. The start of a new year — before trees have begun to leaf out and the sap has started to move briskly — is the right time for structural pruning. Because the trees are dormant, pruning will cause them less stress. And because there are no leaves to obstruct views, we can see the structure of our deciduous trees to assess the work that needs to be done.
“It’s good to think about tree pruning as sort of like mowing your lawn,” Basil says. It’s a regimented practice that should be done on a schedule.
You can continue reading for a truncated summary of my conversation with Basil, or see the show notes from the original airing for the comprehensive version.
Why Structural Pruning Is a Must
“A traditional tree will have a large trunk with smaller, well-spaced branches,” Basil says. “That’s how you’d find these trees growing in the forest. But in the urban setting, often they’re getting a lot of sunlight, probably more than would be natural in the forest. So they’ll grow these very large limbs out to the side. Sometimes, those limbs might actually be as big as the trunk or even bigger.”
If those large limbs are subject to a heavy snow load, they could come crashing down.
In a forest, trees compete for light and grow upward, not outward. Surrounded by others of similar height, each reaches straight toward the sun.
“Trees are light eaters,” Basil says. “I mean, this is their food. So they grow towards their food source. So if there’s a bunch of light pouring in from the side where there would have normally been other trees fighting for that light, well, the tree will react by putting out lots of new growth in that direction so that it can collect more food.”
This uneven growth makes standalone landscape trees more vulnerable. Structural pruning corrects that imbalance and helps prevent heavy limbs from splitting and damaging the trunk.
“The idea of structural pruning is a way that we can give our trees extra life, but we can also protect our assets — our yard, our house, et cetera,” Basil says. “The best time to do this sort of pruning is in the winter because it’s a time when plants are not as active.”
Pruning in winter is less stressful for trees, he adds, because “the flow of sap and nutrients during winter is a dull roar compared to the growing season.”
This tree has a young double trunk, which can make a tree vulnerable to toppling.
Photo Credit: Leaf & Limb
The same tree after structural pruning to remove the second trunk.
Photo Credit: Leaf & Limb
Keep Clear of Uplifting Trees
If a tree is leaning to one side under the weight of snow and ice in a storm, there is nothing to be done to fix it.
“Unfortunately, this is one of those things that if you haven’t gotten to it ahead of time, there’s not much you can do afterwards,” Basil says.
Steer clear of the side that the tree is leaning toward. That tree could fall at any moment, especially if a gust of wind pushes the tree farther in that direction.
A large healthy tree isn’t likely to break or fall over in a storm. It’s trees that have not been maintained properly that create concerns. Photo Credit: Tessa Williams, Media Director at Leaf & Limb
DIY Winter Tree Care and When To Call in the Pros
Basil loves it when people learn how to prune the young trees they’ve planted. It starts with finding the biggest and straightest trunk, from the base of the tree to the canopy.
“Once you’ve evaluated what you think that main trunk probably is, or probably should be, your second step is to say, ‘OK, now what is competing for dominance with that main line that I’ve just identified?’ Maybe there’s like a really obvious second trunk, or maybe there’s a less obvious side branch but it’s getting really tall and maybe surpassing the trunk. With all of those, you would either fully remove the branch or competing trunk, or perhaps reduce it in half.”
This trains the tree to develop the main trunk rather than other branches and trunks that are attempting to compete.
Taller trees should be pruned by professional arborists, Basil says. He draws the line at any work that requires a ladder. If a ladder is needed to complete the work, call a pro rather than trying to do the work yourself.
A tree up to 10 or 12 feet tall can be trimmed with Felcos or loppers by a homeowner standing on the ground. A homeowner who wants to go a bit longer could invest in some pole tools to reach 20 or even 25 feet up, Basil says.
“At that point, I would definitely wear a hard hat and definitely wear eye protection because you just don’t want a thing to fall and hit you right at the end of the branch in the side of your head.”
The other safety consideration is eye protection. Having been poked in the eye before, I now always wear safety glasses when I’m doing any trimming.
“Those little eye pokes are really painful,” Basil says. “That’s a thing we’re very careful about.”
If you don’t need to get up on a ladder to prune a tree, it can be a DIY job. If a ladder is needed, call in a professional.
Photo Credit: Leaf & Limb
Why Tree Topping Is Not a Good Idea
Tree topping — cutting off the top of a large canopy tree — is one of the most damaging practices an arborist can perform.
“It’s very harmful to the tree,” Basil says. “They struggle to recover.”
Despite warnings, some homeowners still request it. In one version, every branch is cut in half “like someone was treating the tree like an ornamental shrub,” Basil says.
Often, the tree can’t recover and dies. If it does sprout again, those new shoots are weakly attached and prone to breaking.
“It really doesn’t lead to any good outcome,” Basil says. “It’s a poor investment, and it’s going to kill the tree, or best case scenario, severely maim the tree.”
Twice the tragedy: This homeowner allowed the canopy of both these beautiful hardwood trees to be decimated. These trees will never be the same and may die within a few years.
Protecting Tree Roots
Along with structural pruning and soil care, Basil stresses the importance of preventing root zone damage.
“If you can do those three things, your tree’s going to live for a very long time,” he says.
Trenching or construction work can easily sever major roots. “It’s one of those heartbreaking situations that happens far too often,” Basil says. Homeowners often notice a beloved tree decline after installing irrigation lines or adding to a house.
“Nothing can be done now, but if we could have just been there before construction to look at the plans, there’s often very easy ways to avoid what becomes critical harm to the tree,” he says.
Avoid digging beneath the tree’s canopy — roughly the area under its branches. “If you do start digging or trenching or excavating in that area, you risk harming its health,” Basil says. “If you get too close to the trunk though, you actually risk the structural stability, which is much scarier.”
As a rule, don’t dig within six times the trunk’s diameter. Cutting roots in that zone can both weaken the tree and threaten its ability to stand.
Hire a Qualified Arborist
When you need expert help, hire an ISA-certified arborist. These professionals are credentialed by the International Society of Arboriculture and can be verified by their certification number.
“An ISA-certified arborist is not what it used to be,” Basil cautions. “It is good, but I would recommend going beyond it, if you can test them a little bit on their knowledge.” He notes that some stop learning once certified, so “I would prod them a little bit and maybe read through their website.”
Basil’s book From Wasteland to Wonder offers five key questions to ask before hiring a tree professional.
When you need expert pruning help, hire an ISA-certified arborist.
Photo Credit: Leaf & Limb
I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Basil Camu of Leaf & Limb and Project Pando on winter tree pruning tips. If you haven’t listened yet, you can do so now by scrolling to the top of the page and clicking the Play icon in the green bar under the page title.
Do you practice winter tree pruning? Let us know in the comments below.
Links & Resources
Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. See full disclosure below.
Episode 138: Why Pruning Matters: Principles, Recommendations and Tips from the Pruner’s Bible
Episode 364: Easy Ways to Help Heal Earth in Suburban and Urban Landscapes
Episode 392: Prevent Eye Injuries in the Garden
Episode 403: Winter Tree Care, with Basil Camu
Episode 415: Fruit Tree Pruning: How to Cultivate Healthy Fruit Trees
joegardener Online Gardening Academy™: Popular courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; seed starting and more.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Organic Vegetable Gardening: My new premium online course. The course is designed to be a comprehensive guide to starting, growing, nurturing and harvesting your favorite vegetables, no matter what you love to eat, no matter where you live, no matter your level of gardening experience.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Seed Starting: Everything you need to know to start your own plants from seed — indoors and out.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Beginning Gardener Fundamentals: Essential principles to know to create a thriving garden.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Growing Epic Tomatoes: Learn how to grow epic tomatoes with Joe Lamp’l and Craig LeHoullier.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Learn the proactive steps to take to manage pests, diseases and weeds for a more successful garden with a lot less frustration. Just $47 for lifetime access!
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Perfect Soil Recipe Master Class: Learn how to create the perfect soil environment for thriving plants.
“From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape” by Basil Camu – free ebook
“From Wasteland to Wonder: Easy Ways We Can Help Heal Earth in the Sub/Urban Landscape” by Basil Camu – hardcover
“How Trees Can Save the World, and What We Can Do to Help” presentation by Basil Camu
Territorial Seed Company – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com – Enter code JOEOCT for 10% off your order
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I receive a commission every time you purchase a product through an Amazon affiliate link. Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. However, none of the prices of these resources have been increased to compensate us, and compensation is not an influencing factor on their inclusion here. The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast was based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship. At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Milorganite, Soil3, Territorial Seed Company, Cool Springs Press / Quarto Group and Dramm. These companies are either Brand Partners of joegardener.com and/or advertise on our website. However, we receive no additional compensation from the sales or promotion of their product through this guide. The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship.
