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The Best Time to Prune Your Trees

7117745054 • March 3, 2025

When is the Best Time to Prune Trees?

According to the Colorado State Forest Service, late winter is the best time to prune your trees.
 
While there’s never really a bad time to remove dead or misshapen branches from your tree, October through March is the best time of year to prune trees in Denver because trees are less susceptible to pests or disease during their dormant season. 

Because trees are still dormant in late winter, wound closure will occur sooner if they’re pruned right before new growth emerges.

Some of you may wonder how we’re able to determine which branches to prune or remove. Now that most of the leaves have fallen, how can our crew identify what will be able to grow them back come spring?

Well, our exceptional crews have the training and experience to know what to look for when pruning your trees. There are a variety of determining factors to figure out how best to treat your tree.

First, they begin by assessing the trunk and limbs for anything that may go undetected to the untrained eye. We find things like bud scars on branches, which are simply the leaves of the upcoming season pushing out the old ones. 

Dead branches are also slightly different in color, so we know what and where to prune for. 

Secondly, we also use pliability tests to see where to trim. Healthy branches will be bendable and won’t break easily, whereas dead branches will snap clear off. 

If you think parts of your tree may be dead, you can try bending the branches a bit to see how flexible they are.

And lastly, there’s also a scratch test you can perform. Not to be confused with an allergy scratch test, this is where you can use a pocket knife of sorts to scratch at the bark of a branch. 

If the skin underneath the bark is green, that branch is still alive. If it’s brown, dry, or flaky underneath, the branch is likely dead.

If any of your branches look like this, then it’s time for an assessment to see what the next steps are.

That’s where we come into play. Here at ArborScape, our certified arborists can assess, diagnose, and treat your trees for your peace of mind.

Because despite winter being the best time of year to prune trees in Denver, we know that issues can arise at any given time throughout the year.

Whether due to storm damage, age and decay, or other issues, there’s always a likelihood of risk when it comes to a tree’s health. This is why we trim AND remove trees year-round, with very few exceptions. 

One exception is that fruit trees that have a core, such as apples and pears, and any trees in that species’ family should only be pruned in winter, even if they don’t bear fruit. 

Not only does this help promote growth the way it would in other trees, but it’s also the best time to treat for Fireblight because of the dormancy of the bacteria.

While there may be some hesitation to prune your trees with the frigid temperatures we recently received, don’t worry- your trees won’t freeze. That would only really happen if we had a lot of rain and it got trapped in the trunk before a sudden freeze.

We suggest pruning your trees now as a preventative measure to ensure the safety of your tree and the potential risks that could happen in such an event.

After all, all it takes is the right snowstorm to snap one of your branches or worse, clear out an entire tree.

So, now that you know when the best time of year to prune your trees is, don’t hesitate to give us a call at (303) 806-8733 for a free estimate! Or, head to our website and fill out a contact form. Our team will receive it and do their best to provide an answer asap.

Our certified arborists are happy to head out to your area to give a free estimate on any tree care services you may need, whether that’s to prune your trees, fertilize your tree roots, or for soil injections. 

The Best Time to Prune Your Trees
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