Seasonal fall temperatures and lack of snow make it perfect conditions to work in your yard or timber areas.
Late fall to winter is a great time to prune trees. Insect and pathogens are in dormant stages with colder weather. When trees start to grow next spring they will start to produce wound tissue to cover the cuts, reducing the chance of insect and disease problems. Leaves are gone off the trees making structural pruning much easier. Without the leaves on it is easier to see co-dominate leaders, crossing or rubbing branches, and branches with poor branch angles. Branches on trees in your yard should be removed before they are much thicker than your thumb. Try not to remove more than a quarter of the crown.
Water your trees deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root growth and make them more resilient. Water during the early morning to minimize evaporation and freezing. It gives your trees more time to drink up.
Invasive bush honeysuckle and buckthorn trees are easy to spot through the woods in the fall. Their leaves remain green late into the season after everything else has fallen off, and often remain attached as late as Thanksgiving. Pesticides applied to cut surfaces work best this time of year as sap is being translocated to the roots.
Start planning for spring tree plantings
Late fall is a good time to prepare for next spring. Here's some tips and resources.
- Grants are available to help communities and schools become greener, shadier, and healthier places to work, live and play. Check out the links below for grant requirement and how to apply.
- Private forest landowners can apply for technical and financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The first application cutoff date for new EQIP contracts is Nov. 22, 2024.
- Contact your district forester to set up a time to visit your timber and help you develop a management plan.
- Find tips for selecting, planting and proper maintenance of trees on the DNR Tree Resources and Links webpage.
The Iowa DNR State Forest Nursery offers spring delivery in April and May for hardwood, conifer and shrub seedlings.
All trees are grown from Iowa seed sources to harvest the bounty of native genetics that have thrived in our soils and weather against disease, insects, droughts and floods for many thousands of years.
Visit our online store to view seedling varieties and to place your spring order. DNR’s expert nursery staff can assist with species selection and answer questions about your tree needs and nursery offerings.