Winter Pruning Alert

Picture this: fresh snow on the ground, a hot coffee in your hand, and… your favorite oak tree quietly facing a silent killer. Sounds dramatic? It is. While you were hanging Christmas lights, planning holiday menus and toasting the new year, a deadly fungus called oak wilt is lying in wait for spring—unless YOU take action right now.

Yes, RIGHT NOW - while it’s cold and snowy - is hands-down the BEST time of year to prune your oak trees. In fact, it might be the single most important thing you do for them all year.

The Terrifying Truth About Oak Wilt

Oak wilt (Bretziella fagacearum) is basically the zombie apocalypse for oak trees. Once infected, many red oaks (think northern red oaks, pin oaks, or black oaks) can go from perfectly healthy to completely dead in as little as 3–6 weeks. We’re talking leaves wilting in summer, branches dying back, and an irreplaceable shade tree gone - sometimes along with every other oak in your yard because the disease can spread underground through connected roots.

How does it jump from tree to tree? Tiny picnic beetles (yep, the same ones that crash your summer cookouts) carry fungal spores on their bodies. They’re obsessed with fresh oak sap. Prune your tree in May? You just rolled out the red carpet and served them an all-you-can-eat buffet of wounds. One infected beetle lands → game over.

Winter = Zero Beetles, Zero Risk

Here’s the game-changer: those beetles hate cold weather. They’re gone. Hunkered down for the winter. Your oaks are also fast asleep in dormancy - no bleeding sap, no beetle magnet. That makes November through March the safest window to prune oaks in Michigan. Miss this window and you’re gambling with your trees’ lives.

What a Winter Pruning Actually Does for Your Oaks

A professional tree pruning crew can transform your trees while they’re snoozing:

•    Zap ugly water sprouts and suckers stealing energy during the growing season
•    Open up the canopy so wind and sunlight flow through (hello, healthier tree!)
•    Lift low branches so you stop smacking your head on them
•    Remove deadwood before the next ice storm turns it into a widow-maker
•    Shape young oaks so they are structurally strong instead of wonky

Don’t Wait for Spring (That’s When the Beetles Wake Up Hungry)

Your oaks have stood tall through decades of birthdays, barbecues, and tree forts. Give them the fighting chance they deserve. One phone call today books your spot on our winter schedule - before everyone else panics in March and the calendar is already filled up.

Drop us a message  or call today - your trees will thank you when they leaf out big, healthy, and disease-free next spring.