Best time to limb a river birch tree - Ask Extension
I want to cut a limb off a river birch in my yard and am wondering when the best time is to do that. I have the equipment to do this safely so there a...
Knowledgebase
Best time to limb a river birch tree #885207
Asked September 13, 2024, 8:59 PM EDT
I want to cut a limb off a river birch in my yard and am wondering when the best time is to do that. I have the equipment to do this safely so there are no scheduling restrictions. One picture shows how large the tree is next to our house. In the closer picture, the limb I want to cut off is the one on the far right, somewhat thinner than the large main branches.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
This page from Virginia is helpful for the timing for pruning trees:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ef43d1d9-625c-4e64-a7bc-c07a05ce4f07/content According to that, the best time to prune Birch is November- January.
That said, that looks like a pretty large limb. Even beyond safety issues, which are always important, you might consider having a certified arborist (tree health expert) come out and take a look to advise if it's a good idea as far tree health goes. Very large wounds take time to heal over and can open the tree to disease.
ISA-certified arborists are usually on staff at most larger tree companies or you can search for one at the credentialing agency at http://www.treesaregood.org
Additionally, where the cuts are made is important - not into the 'branch collar' so that the tree is able to produce callous tissue to heal over the wound, and there is a pruning method that uses 3 or 4 cuts to reduce the chance of the bark tearing.
You can learn about best pruning practices here:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-trees-home-landscape/
Christine
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ef43d1d9-625c-4e64-a7bc-c07a05ce4f07/content According to that, the best time to prune Birch is November- January.
That said, that looks like a pretty large limb. Even beyond safety issues, which are always important, you might consider having a certified arborist (tree health expert) come out and take a look to advise if it's a good idea as far tree health goes. Very large wounds take time to heal over and can open the tree to disease.
ISA-certified arborists are usually on staff at most larger tree companies or you can search for one at the credentialing agency at http://www.treesaregood.org
Additionally, where the cuts are made is important - not into the 'branch collar' so that the tree is able to produce callous tissue to heal over the wound, and there is a pruning method that uses 3 or 4 cuts to reduce the chance of the bark tearing.
You can learn about best pruning practices here:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/pruning-trees-home-landscape/
Christine
