Winter is the perfect time to prune oak trees. Oak trees are special for many reasons: they’re Iowa’s state tree, they’re important to our ecosystem and — they shouldn’t be pruned during the spring ...

Waiting until the leaves drop in fall is a rule of thumb for pruning shade trees, mainly because you can see bare limbs better, and the job is less “messy” without leaves attached to the cut branches.

Q. I have a large oak tree in my backyard that has been in decline recently. The grass under the tree does poorly. Does the tree take away the nutrients the grass needs? Should I apply more fertilizer ...

February is a good month to prune deciduous trees in many climates. As they are dormant, they suffer less stress from pruning, and there are fewer pests and diseases around at this time of year.