Tree Trimming and Pruning

 Serving Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Surrounding Areas

Central MN Tree Service offers tree trimming and pruning services that help your trees develop proper structure to look good and stay stronger as they mature. Regular pruning is a good maintenance practice that removes dead wood, which serves as a food source for fungi.


Trimming and pruning trees can help with the following:

  • Remove hazardous branches that are a risk to damage property
  • Reduce disease risk - through pruning, tree disease can be prevented from spreading
  • Encourage tree growth - tree pruning helps a tree's root system to get stronger, which improves a tree's health and helps new branches to grow.

Oak, Elm, Ash Tree Trimming

Winter is the best time to trim and prune your oak, ash and elm trees. Even in the cold and snow of winter, Central MN Tree Service are out trimming and pruning trees. Benefits of winter tree trimming include:


  • Reduce the risk of spreading some of the more common diseases affecting trees, such as oak wilt and Emeral Ash Borer.
  • Pruning can be done without compacting the soil around the tree's roots during winter when the ground is frozen. Any heavy equipment needed to access your trees will have less impact on the soil and landscaping around your trees.
  • Pruning also improves the health of your trees by removing dead or dying branches that have previously been injured by disease, insects, mites, animals and storms.

Tree Trimming & Pruning

  • How often should trees be trimmed?

    Most mature shade trees benefit from pruning every 3–5 years. Younger trees may need more frequent, lighter pruning to establish good structure. Fruit trees and trees near power lines or structures often need more frequent attention. 

  • Is there a best time of year to trim trees in Minnesota? 

    Late winter (dormant season) is generally ideal for most deciduous trees, since it's easier to see branch structure and there's lower risk of disease transmission. However, dead, damaged, or hazardous branches should be addressed immediately regardless of season. Oak trees have a specific window (roughly April–July) to avoid, due to oak wilt risk — we time oak pruning carefully around this.

  • What is oak wilt, and why does it matter for pruning timing? 

    Oak wilt is a fungal disease that has significantly impacted oak trees across the Twin Cities and Minnesota, and it's spread in part by sap-feeding beetles that are most active in spring and early summer. Pruning oaks during this window creates fresh wounds that can attract these beetles. We avoid pruning oaks between April and July unless it's an emergency, and we always seal fresh wounds when working on oaks during higher-risk periods.

  • Can trimming help prevent storm damage? 

    Yes — this is a big part of what we do. Removing dead, weak, or crossing branches, thinning dense canopies to reduce wind resistance, and correcting structural issues (like included bark or codominant stems) all reduce the likelihood of storm-related breakage. A proactive trim before storm season is one of the best investments you can make in your property.

  • Do you trim branches near power lines? 

    We can trim branches that are near, but not touching or directly threatening, power lines. If branches are actually in contact with utility lines, that work must be done by the utility company or their contracted line-clearance crew — we'll help you identify when that's the case and can help coordinate. 

  • Will trimming hurt or kill my tree?

    Proper pruning, done correctly and at the right time of year, is healthy for trees and won't harm them. Over-pruning ("topping") or improper cuts can seriously damage a tree's health and structure — this is something we specifically avoid, following ANSI A300 pruning standards.