Is there a certain time of year that is best to trim branches. I have a maple that the upper have is dead, but the lower half looks great. (an over-aggressive weed whip job by my wife last spring, that was her first and only trim job). Will I kill the tree completely if I trim now?

You can trim trees from now until the sap starts to run next spring. I generally like to do it in fall after the leaves fall. Can see everything better and makes cleanup easier.

Its nice to trim after the leaves fall, but remember the branches look a lot different then, and particularly if you want to clean out dead ones, they all look the same after the leaves have fallen.

So, I suggest marking them with orange paint or tieing a little string on the ones you want cut, when you can see them with all their leaves on.

Hey Lawdog,thats pretty good advice.

Learned from previous mistakes Lee Harvey!!!!

I'd trim it any time before the sap runs in spring. That will give the wounds a full growing season to heal over.

Maples can be trimmed year round. Sap running mewans nothing in the development of the tree. It does bother homeowners to see sap dripping our of their trees, but it doesn't hurt the plant. Think of all the trees that get tapped for syrup year after year.

You can trim those branches right now, especially since they are already dead. It is nice to trim out the dead wood for asthetics.

Thanks guys for all the replies. Trimming that tree is now on my weekend's to-do list.

Hey Bush:

Now is a good time to trim dead wood, as mentioned, because it's easy to separate the quick from the dead when the leaves are full. If you decide to thin living branches, I'd still recommend waiting until they bud out next spring. It's not about whether sap is flowing or not. It's about allowing the cut branch the full growing season to help the cut heal over. The better that happens, the less chance for disease. And since you're getting rid of all the dead wood now, when April hits you'll know that any branches left are alive. Also, it's much easier to see the structure of the tree when dead branches are gone and there are no leaves. In the end, it'll be branch structure that determines shape, proportion and health when you are pruning.

the best time to trim trees???? When the loppers are sharp. Don't take of more then 15% annualy