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.

This beloved shade tree requires a specific pruning schedule to stay healthy, and winter timing protects it from diseases ...

Although there are conflicting recommendations as to when the best time to prune oak trees is, a plant pathologist at Iowa State University says it probably is OK to do so anytime after mid-September.