Can trees be pruned in summer?

What summer is good for

A hanging limb or a dead branch over a roof does not wait for winter. The ISA says light, routine removal of weak, dead or diseased limbs can be done at any time of year. Our own FAQ gives the same rule: remove a hazard when you find it.

Conifers follow a different calendar. Battle Born's guidance is early spring and summer for most conifers such as pines. For species notes see when to prune pines and spruce.

What summer is not good for

Heavy cuts to live wood just after the spring flush are best avoided, particularly on weak trees, because the tree has just spent its stored energy on new leaves. Summer is also when a stressed tree is already working hardest, and in Northern Nevada the dry months are long. Carson City's annual precipitation normal is 9.34 inches at the NOAA station, so the soil water a tree relies on is limited.

If you want a big shade tree thinned or reduced, plan it for dormancy, when the structure is visible and the cuts close with spring growth.

Elms are the cautionary case

Dead and dying elm wood is where elm bark beetles breed, and those beetles carry Dutch elm disease. That is a reason to take dead elm wood off promptly and to keep elm wood with the bark on away from living elms. The full disease page is Dutch elm disease, and species timing is on when to prune elms. We have not sourced beetle flight dates for Nevada, so we do not state them.

The short version for a booking

Hazards: now. Conifers: spring and summer. Deciduous shade trees: late winter unless something is wrong. Not sure which you have? Call 775.232.8243, and a certified arborist will sort it at the free estimate.