Most homeowner tree care is small, cheap, and seasonal. Done consistently, it keeps mature trees healthy for decades. Skipped, it adds up to a $4,000 storm cleanup. Here's the year, month by month.
January
- Walk the property after each significant snow or wind event — look for new dead branches, partial breaks, or lean changes
- Check on any cabled trees — make sure cables are still tight and hardware is intact
- Schedule late-winter pruning for any trees you've been meaning to address
February
- Best month of the year for major dormant pruning on most species
- Last good month to prune oaks before the oak wilt window opens in April
- Check mulch depth around mature trees — should be 2–4 inches, never piled against the trunk
March
- Finish any dormant pruning before bud break
- Refresh mulch rings — pull mulch back from trunks if it's volcano-shaped
- Inspect for winter damage: salt damage on roadside trees, rodent damage on young trunks, sunscald on south-facing bark
April
- Watch for early signs of disease as leaves emerge — apple scab, anthracnose, oak wilt
- Stop pruning oaks until late August
- Plant new trees — early spring is one of the two best planting windows
May
- Monitor for emerald ash borer activity if you have ash trees — adult beetles emerge late May / early June
- Inspect for tent caterpillars and gypsy moths; treat or hand-remove if needed
- Deep water newly planted trees weekly if rainfall is low
June
- Heavy storm season starts — walk the property after each major storm and report any limb failures
- Inspect cabled trees again for stress signs
- Check soil moisture under mature trees during dry stretches; deep water during droughts
July
- Watch for Japanese beetles, especially on maples and lindens
- Avoid pruning during heat waves; if you must remove storm damage, paint oak wounds immediately
- Continue deep watering during droughts
August
- Oak pruning window reopens late month
- Last chance to plant trees in summer — they'll need attentive watering through fall
- Schedule fall storm-prep walks
September
- Continue oak pruning if needed
- Best fall planting window opens — soil is still warm, trees establish well
- Begin proactive removals planned for the fall — soil is firm, leaves are coming off
October
- Major dropoff in leaves — inspect canopy structure for next year's pruning needs
- Mulch fresh leaves with mower or rake out from under trees if leaf litter is heavy
- Walk wooded areas for dead standing trees in striking distance of paths or structures
November
- Wrap young thin-barked trees (maples, fruit trees) against sunscald and rodent damage
- Drain irrigation lines under trees before freeze
- Schedule winter pruning on the calendar — January–March slots fill up
December
- Inspect for branches that might fail under ice load
- After storms, walk the property and document any new damage with photographs
- Plan the next year's tree work while it's quiet
Most of this is 15 minutes a month, plus an hour or two of actual work in spring and fall. It's the cheapest insurance available for mature trees — and dramatically cheaper than the storm cleanup it prevents.
