Can oak trees be trimmed?

slickracer

I have 2 very large oak trees in my yard...can oak trees be trimmed? I've heard mix stories that they can be trimmed like a maple and that they cannot and it will kill the tree. Any thoughts?

cleveman

are you in the northern or southern hemisphere?

packer_rich

Yes they can be trimmed. Don't know if that will kill them though.

bob22

Never heard of a tree that couldn't be pruned. Look in yellow pages for a tree service that has a certified arborist. They will be able to tell you how much and where in the tree it could be pruned. Too much can injure a tree.

slickracer

Pennsylvania.

cleveman

It is recommended to trim oak trees here in the dead of winter. That would mean February.

I don't know how your weather has been. If it has been as mild as our winter has been, be wary.

You could contact your ag extension for more information. Call your ag university if you can't find them. Would that be Penn State? Stay out of the locker room anyway...

bareshiyth

Of course. Essentially every species of tree is able to handle being grazed, losing branches to wind and snow and worse, and pruning/trimming/resizing is just a nicer and neater form of such. Takes a lot to kill a tree, tho (be careful) not so much as to spoil its look or form.

Wiscbldr

Im an oak owner, and I can tell you that yes, you can trim them, but, trim them during the winter months (late Nov-Feb). Don't trim them during the regular growing cycle or you can risk getting Oak wilt or other fungal disease. If its an emergency (like after storm damage, then by all means, cut as needed to clear debris). If you're talking about a very mature oak tree, very tall, then its best to hire "tree monkeys", arborists who can scale the tree and trim it appropriately from top to bottom. If you're just trimming the lower branches, use a sharp lopper or hand saw and trim appropriately.

chrisn

watch it there bub, I used to be one of those "monkies"

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tractorfarmer

Like others said, the time of year is important. So is the amount of trimming and method. If the cuts are made so the tree will easily heal itself, that's better then hacking large limbs that would take years to grow over the cut. And the tree might be better if you can do the trimming in a few stages with a few years in between so it is not shocked from having too much hacked off at one time.

chrisn

a real "tree monkey" will do no hacking

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bob22

Rule of thumb I've heard is no more than 1/3 of the canopy per year.

Ironlight

This is also one of those circumstances were you pretty definitely don't want to take the cheapest bid unless you have a direct recommendation from someone you trust knows trees.

And be prepared for some sticker shock. Properly trimming back two big overgrown oaks is not going to be cheap.

chrisn

This was true 30 years ago, so I am sure it is not any cheaper, but it is an investment also and something that needs done maybe every 10 to 15 years, if done properly.

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