When to trim trees in Florida

The short answer, tree by tree

The oak timing below comes from a 2005 UF/IFAS circular that EDIS keeps as an archival copy, so treat it as a guideline and ask about your specific tree. The newer UF/IFAS pages agree with it on dead wood and palms.

• Prune live oaks, laurel oaks and other big shade trees in the dormant season or just after a growth flush, and skip the weeks when they're coming out of or going into dormancy (UF/IFAS CIR853).
• Light pruning can happen any time of year, and dead, diseased or injured branches should come off whenever you find them (CIR853, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions).
• Pruning cuts close fastest when they're made just before or right after the spring growth flush (CIR853).
• Palms can be trimmed any month, as long as only fully brown fronds come off (Gardening Solutions, Pruning Palms).

Hurricane season sets a deadline

The Atlantic season runs June 1 to November 30. More than 97 percent of tropical cyclone activity falls inside it, and it peaks from August to October (NOAA Hurricane Research Division). For structural work on big oaks, that makes winter and early spring the practical window: the work is done before June, and it lines up with the dormant-season advice.

Brevard County's solid waste department asks residents to get ready before the season. Cut back trees and weak branches that touch the house, thin foliage so wind can pass through, and put trimmings out on the regular collection day in pieces no longer than 4 feet and no heavier than 50 pounds (Brevard County storm debris guidance).

Then it draws a line. Once a storm is expected to make landfall in 72 hours or less, the county says not to cut down trees or do major yard work, because collection before landfall isn't guaranteed (Brevard County). Brush piled at the curb when the wind arrives is exactly what that rule is trying to prevent.

Good pruning helps. UF/IFAS says correct pruning makes trees more resistant to hurricane damage (Gardening Solutions). Bad pruning does the reverse, and UF/IFAS Extension in Broward warns against topping and against lion's-tailing, where the inner and lower branches are stripped and weight is left at the tips (UF/IFAS Extension Broward).

How much comes off at once

Less than most people expect. At the eight-year step of its training plan for young shade trees, UF/IFAS says not to remove more than 25 to 35 percent of the foliage, and it warns that removing large branches starts decay in the trunk (UF/IFAS EP276).

Laurel oak shows why. UF/IFAS notes that a small trunk injury or an improper pruning cut can start decay columns 10 to 20 feet long or more in that species (UF/IFAS ST549).

Local rules set limits too. Melbourne allows trimming of up to 20 percent of a tree's canopy without a permit (Melbourne LDC s. 9.272). In unincorporated Brevard, pruning that damages a tree's viability can be treated as land clearing (Brevard County Code s. 62-4338(7)).

Birds get a say

A nest changes the schedule. All Florida raptors, their nests and their eggs are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law, and removing an active hawk nest with eggs or chicks needs a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit (FWC raptor permits). For bald eagles, FWC recommends a 660-foot buffer from the nest and a check of its nest map before work starts (FWC bald eagle FAQ).

If a hawk or eagle is using a nest in the tree, the trim waits. The protected trees guide has the details.

A Brevard calendar

Put together, the year looks roughly like this. It's a guide, not a rule, and a dead limb over the driveway doesn't wait for the calendar.

• Winter: the dormant-season window for structural pruning on oaks and other shade trees, with hurricane season months away (CIR853).
• Late winter into spring: finish the big jobs before new growth flushes, and have risky trees looked at well before June 1.
• June through November: hurricane season (NOAA). Keep dead wood and palm fruit cleaned up, and don't start major cutting when a storm is three days or less from landfall.
• After a storm: hazards first. Melbourne's city manager and Titusville's City Manager may waive tree rules after a hurricane (Melbourne s. 9.272, Titusville s. 30-39), so check what applies before any cutting.
• Palms: any month, dead fronds only.