When is the best time to prune oak trees?

The best time to prune all varieties of oak trees is during the dormant winter months, according to SFGate. This lowers the risk of disease or bugs getting into the open wounds.

When pruning an oak tree, always remove less than ten percent of the branch growth as to lower the stress on the tree, according to SFGate. Another way to reduce the damage to the tree is to make sure the pruning shears are very sharp at the time of cutting. Avoid all pruning from April through June, the active growing months for the oak species, according to SFGate.