(Des Moines, IA) -- Fall is a great time to work on your trees. It's also a safe time for the tree itself to be trimmed.
Chip Murrow with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says dormancy trimming is safe when most trees have lost their leaves.
"The nice thing about pruning in the fall, is your insect and disease are dormant at this time," Murrow said, "and the leaves, if they're not off the tree, they're at least not doing any photosynthesis."
This is especially true for oak trees, which can be at risk for oak wilt if trimmed at other times of the year. Murrow says even with dry weather this fall, right now is a good time for trimming. Seasonal change can damage some young trees, especially for thin-skinned trees, like birch and maple.
"It gets below freezing that night, and the sap expands in the trunk, and then there's a crack in the trunk, that's what going on there."
He says wrapping a tree can prevent damage over the winter, either with the wrap that comes with it from a nursery or those available for purchase at a nursery or plant supplier.
Mulch can also be helpful, but only when applied correctly. Leaving a short gap between the mulch and base of the tree will prevent it from causing the trunk to rot out.
The DNR encourages watering trees deeply and less frequently during warmer seasons to encourage deep root growth and make them more resilient. Water during the early morning to minimize evaporation and freezing. It gives your trees more time to drink up.