Many of our clients are surprised to learn that Ontree works through the winter season. There is a prevailing belief that trees cannot be worked on during the winter. This is far from being the case, and in fact there are many reasons why winter is one of the best times to prune or remove trees:

•  Trees are dormant over the winter, so pruning wounds will only be exposed until new growth begins in spring.

•  There are fewer diseases present to enter wounds.

•  Tree structure is more visible in the winter, making it easier to see and attend to potential problems.

•  Under storey plants are less exposed to damage

•  Frozen ground makes it easier to remove large sections of wood

•  Winter generally represents a slower business season and prices can be lower.

One common question we get is how do we know which branches are dead if there are no leaves on the tree? There are telltale signs our climbers look for when trying to distinguish dead from live branches. Loss of bark, presence of certain types of fungi, and lack of buds are all indications that a branch is dead and should be pruned.

Of course there are always several winter storms each year that cause damage to trees which must be attended to immediately. On the other hand, you should also consider the winter season a suitable time to take care of the general pruning needs of your trees.