Can You Cut a Pine Tree Branch in the Summer?

Pruning Time

• The recommended time for pruning pine and other conifers is during the dormant period between late winter and early spring. The time period starting from late spring and lasting through the summer is the active growth period of the tree. Cutting branches or pruning is not recommended at this time, says the University of Idaho Extension website. Pruning in early spring allows new growth to rapidly fill in the bare, cut and pruned areas.

Disadvantages of Summer

• Live tree branches are best not pruned or cut during summer as the bark is highly prone to damage at this time. This damage increases the risk for various fungal infections in the tree. Cutting branches late in the season such as summer and fall also decreases the aesthetic value of the tree as it take several months for new growth to appear and cover leafless inner branches. Trees that are pruned late have less foliage during fall and winter and this weakens the tree.

Exceptions

• There are certain exceptional cases under which pine tree branches may be cut at any time of year. This includes damage to tree from bad weather conditions, in which case the tree should be pruned immediately. Often pine trees and other conifers display randomly growing branches that affect tree shape. These may be cut at any time of the year. This pruning is referred to as maintenance pruning.

Things to Avoid

• The time to avoid any type of cutting or pruning of pine trees is during late summer and early fall. Cutting the tree during these times produces succulent, new growth that is highly susceptible to severe winter damage as it has not had time to harden well. Also do not severely prune conifers like pine because this can lead to decline and death, especially in older trees. Pine trees lack live buds in older branches and once these branches are cut severely, there is no new growth, causing the branches to eventually die. When cutting branches, only cut back to live leafy branches that will continue to grow.