April and May are good months to take care of this maintenance step, and by the time hurricane and blizzard season roll around, you’ll be glad you did.
Fast Facts About Deadwooding
- Spring is the best time to deadwood most trees.
- It is common in suburban and urban areas for a tree to be exposed to less sunlight on one of its sides, so one side will require more deadwooding
- Deadwooding makes your tree look more lively and attractive
- Deadwooding keeps your neighborhood safe by preventing branches from falling
- Deadwooding prevents you from paying a fine from damaging property
- If not removed in time, dead branches can rot, and that rot can spread into healthy parts of the tree, putting your tree in danger of dying
- Rotting branches also attract pest and predatory insects
Deadwood Now to Prevent Damage Later
During the nor’easter in March 2018, Mr. Tree cleaned up many uprooted spruce trees, which are a type of evergreen. During windstorms, dead branches in such trees can create a sail effect, and their shallow root system makes them vulnerable to be blown down in sodden soil.
Thinning your trees in April and May will remove excess growth, reducing this sail effect so your tree is much more likely to survive through those strong winds.