While 30 million pine trees are being cut and prepped to become beautifully-decorated Christmas trees for the holiday season, did you know that the winter time is the best time to have your outdoor-grounded pine trees pruned? In regards to pruning, pine trees are among the easiest trees to maintain, since they tend to grow into a neat shape that seldom need correction. As coniferous evergreens, pine trees reach their dormant stage in the colder winter months. This just so happens to be the same time frame that the pine bark beetle (a destructive pest that has been ravaging through California and the rest of the country) also goes dormant. Open tree wounds create an open door for pests to enter and begin their wreckage. Making cuts on a pine tree during the wrong time of the year can also put the tree into distress. A stressed tree becomes a weaker tree, thus becoming easier for pests to attack. However, pruning cuts made in the winter while pine trees are “sleeping” will have minimal impact on the tree’s health and will give it enough time to seal up before the beetle wakes up from dormancy.
Winter trimmings also prepares pine trees for their growing season when the weather begins to warm, as pruning tend to trigger new growth — making the trees appear more robust and healthy.
In addition to protection from pest infestation and correlating with the tree’s natural growth season, trimming pine trees in the winter reduces the amount of sap dripping from the wound. Tree sap, like human blood, carries water and nutrients throughout the tree. It also has a protective nature. If a wound is inflicted on a tree, it will bleed. Just as human blood coagulates and forms a sealing scar, sticky sap from a tree also acts like a bandage. The flow of sap is slowed down with colder temperatures and decreased amounts of sunlight. In the warmer spring and summer, the flow of sap is at its strongest as the tree requires more nutrients for the growing season. Therefore, having your pine tree trimmed during this period will result in massive sap drippings that can become a huge nuisance.
An exception to winter pruning is in the case of dead or diseased tree limbs. Dead limbs are create a dangerous environment since in their fragile state, they can easily break and fall. Diseased limbs need to be trimmed off as soon as possible to avoid the disease spreading to other parts of the tree.
