Winter Elm & Oak Trimming

Elms and Oaks are usually homeowner’s pride and joy of their trees in their yard. And because of this, we take great care in proper timing of trimming them. Bugs move in the summer and there isn’t anything like a fresh cut in a tree to appeal to them. Our number one disease that affects oaks is oak wilt and normally that is transferred through roots from a dying/diseased oak in the area. Still, cutting them in the offseason increases their chance of failure so unless it’s absolutely necessary we just don’t do it.

Elms, on the other hand, are primarily diseased by a beetle which will only move during our warmer months. Again we won’t trim elms unless it’s absolutely necessary in these months.

One problem with trimming in the winter is all the leaves are off the trees and they look nice and thin. If you truly care about this tree and want it to stay healthy it would be best to have a professional come by and give you their opinion on it.

Generally, our trim dates for oaks and elms are starting Sept-Oct and going until March- April. I don’t use exact dates due to changes in weather. Frost in the ground is a better measure when your tree would be completely safe.