7 Deciduous Trees You Need to Prune This November for a Healthier, Thriving Garden

For many of us, November signals the start of pruning season for lots of deciduous trees. When they have lost their leaves in late fall and entered dormancy, it is an opportune time to give them some attention.

On your property, you may have trees to prune in November for health, size, or safety reasons. It can include keeping statuesque shade trees safe from disease, trimming arching ornamentals away from buildings and power lines, and ensuring popular backyard fruit trees are productive.

Yes, it pays to dedicate time to clearing your yard and planting in November, but it is also a good time to prune. To keep your trees safe, only prune on dry days, hold off if a severe freeze is on the horizon, and always use clean, sharp pruning tools. If in doubt, keep your pruners or loppers sharp with a pocket-sized sharpener like this on Amazon.

Northern Red Oak

The Northern Red Oak is one of the faster-growing oaks used in landscaping. Native to the eastern and central United States, it grows tall and broad and is a popular shade tree with bright red fall foliage.

Because of its rapid growth, it is recommended to assess a Northern Red Oak every 3 to 5 years, as it may require regular maintenance pruning to keep it safe and looking its best.

Oak tree pruning is best done during dormancy, and mid-November is often the start of the season in many climates. Winter pruning reduces the risk of oak wilt, a devastating disease spread by sap-sucking beetles that are active in spring and summer.

This winter pruning guidance applies to all native oak trees, all of which are susceptible to oak wilt. However, red oaks are most susceptible, and trees can die within months of any infection.

American Sycamore

The American sycamore is the largest deciduous tree in North America and can reach 75 to 100 feet tall. If you’ve got the space, an American sycamore can be a specimen tree for privacy or shade. It also has an extra trick up its sleeve – dramatic peeling white bark.

Regularly checking and pruning the tree helps maintain healthy, well-formed branches rather than weak joints that become a potential danger to property or people during storms. If you spot any dead, diseased, or damaged branches, prune them when the tree is dormant from late fall to early spring.

An old American sycamore may need professional climbers to tackle the tall canopy. In some cases, it may be possible to trim smaller trees or lower branches yourself. Here, an extendable pole pruner, such as this 27-foot pole pruner at Lowe’s, is a sensible option so you can cut safely from the ground.

White Ash

The native white ash, which can reach 50 to 80 feet tall, has been extensively planted as a shade tree.

However, the tree is very susceptible to the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle that has killed millions of ash trees across the US over the last quarter of a century.

If you have a white ash, or any other native ash, including green ash, prune only after leaf drop and when the tree is dormant. November offers the opportunity to prune and deal with any corrective issues when the beetles are not active.

To reduce the stress on the tree, make minimal cuts only for health, structural, or safety reasons and never remove more than 25% of the canopy in one year.

Always use the right tool for the branch size when doing any pruning. For example, use a pruning saw for the largest branches. This Corona folding pruning saw at The Home Depot can cut large limbs up to six inches in diameter.

American Elm

An American elm is a tall tree with an arching, shapely canopy. Its spreading habit makes routine pruning necessary if it grows close to buildings or power lines for safety reasons. The large limbs also make it important to inspect trees before winter for broken branches or deadwood that may drop in storms.

American elms are highly susceptible to the destructive Dutch elm disease, spread by elm bark beetles. The beetles are inactive from late fall to early spring, so elm trees can be lightly pruned in November.

Once the leaves have dropped, it is easier to see any dead, damaged, or diseased branches and any weak branch unions that may pose a risk in high winds. Promptly removing deadwood is always important with elm trees, as deadwood is a haven for elm bark beetles.

Mountain Ash

Mountain ash, also known as rowan, is not a true ash tree. It is in the genus Sorbus and belongs to the rose family. It gets its name because its leaves are similar to those of an ash tree.

A mountain ash has creamy-white flowers that attract pollinators, followed by bright berries – which can be red, orange, yellow, or pink – and these fall fruits provide food for birds.

When you grow a rowan tree, it is usually a compact, shapely, low-maintenance tree. It may need regular shaping and pruning to manage the size, improve air circulation and light penetration, and to remove dead, diseased, damaged, or crossing branches. If they need a trim, prune rowan trees during dormancy from November to February.

Start by focusing on the 3 D's and any crossing or congested branches. Remove them with sharp pruners or loppers, such as the Fiskars PowerGear tree loppers at Walmart. This is often all that is required to open up the canopy and keep the tree healthy for the following year.

Apples and Pears

In November, the window for pruning many fruit trees opens, including apples, pears, and quince trees. Knowing when to prune fruit trees is crucial. Pome fruits such as these are pruned during dormancy, unlike stone fruit trees such as plums, peaches, apricots, and cherries, which shouldn’t be pruned in winter and should instead be trimmed in summer.

As for how to prune fruit trees, each needs to be assessed and treated individually. However, always start by removing dead, damaged, or diseased branches, followed by any crossing, rubbing, or growing inwards towards the trunk.

When pruning apple trees, shortening last year’s branches encourages lots of fruiting spurs – but only on spur-bearing varieties, so check your type. And shortening long branches can help them support fruit. But don’t remove too much wood when pruning pears or apples in winter, or you might end up with lots of watershoots to remove next year.

A good set of sharp pruners should be the go-to tool for thin branches, shortening spurs, and removing watershoots. I have had a trusty pair of Felco F2 pruning shears that I have used for pruning fruit trees for more than a decade. You can get a pair of Felco F2 pruners at Amazon.

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Always assess the weather before pruning trees, especially during colder months, to avoid pruning trees during or before periods of extreme cold.

If you make the pruning mistake of cutting before a deep freeze, frost can get into the pruning cut and cause dieback. Check the forecasts before pruning any trees in November, especially in colder, northern hardiness zones.

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