Houston winters are mild most years. But most years isn't every year, and after 2021, a lot of homeowners in this area are taking cold snaps a lot more seriously.
The February 2021 freeze killed trees across the entire metro. Palms that had been growing for 20 years. Live oaks, ornamentals, whole rows of established landscaping. The cleanup that spring was unlike anything we had seen before. And a lot of the damage was preventable -- not because homeowners needed to wrap their own trees in burlap, but because the trees going into that freeze were already compromised in ways a professional would have caught.
Here's what's actually worth doing before the temperatures drop -- and what you should have a tree company handle before freeze season hits.
Get a Professional Assessment Before It Gets Cold
This is the most important thing on the list and the one most homeowners skip.
A tree that goes into a hard freeze already stressed, diseased, or structurally compromised comes out the other side in far worse shape -- or doesn't come out at all. And then you're dealing with removal in the spring instead of a straightforward trim or treatment in the fall.
A pre-freeze assessment catches:
Dead or dying limbs that will snap under ice weight and come down on your roof, fence, or vehicle
Structural cracks or splits that a freeze-and-thaw cycle will open further
Early signs of disease or root decay that make the tree a much higher fall risk once the ground thaws
Trees that are already on their way out -- better to remove them on your schedule than after a storm drops them for you
Booking a fall assessment is one of the better investments you can make in your property before winter. We walk the property, look at every significant tree, and tell you exactly what we're seeing. If something needs to come down or be addressed before it gets cold, we'll tell you that. If everything looks solid, we'll tell you that too.
Deadwood and Hazard Limb Removal
If your trees are carrying dead limbs -- and most mature Houston trees are -- fall is the time to get them out.
Dead limbs become significantly more dangerous in winter. Ice accumulation adds weight. Freeze-and-thaw cycles work the crack open further. A limb that was hanging on through summer and fall may not make it through a hard freeze without coming down on something.
Getting dead and compromised limbs removed before freeze season is straightforward preventive work. It's also one of the most common jobs we do this time of year, and it's a lot cheaper than emergency removal after a limb comes through your roof.
Structural Pruning Before Winter
Structural pruning isn't the same as trimming. It's removing limbs that are crossing, rubbing, or growing in directions that create long-term problems for the tree's structure.
Winter is actually one of the better times to do structural work on most Houston trees. The canopy is thinner, you can see the branch structure more clearly, and the tree's lower metabolic activity means it handles the pruning cuts well. For live oaks specifically, fall and winter are the preferred window for any major pruning work because oak wilt risk drops significantly once temperatures cool and beetle activity slows.
If your trees have been growing unchecked for a few years and you've been meaning to have them shaped up, scheduling that work now gets it done during the ideal window and takes it off your list before the spring busy season.
Stump Grinding Before the Ground Gets Hard
If you had trees removed this year and the stumps are still sitting there, fall is the right time to grind them.
Houston's clay soil doesn't freeze solid the way northern soils do, but a hard freeze does firm up the ground and can make stump grinding more difficult. Grinding in the fall -- while the soil is still workable -- is easier and typically faster. It also means you're not starting spring with stumps in your yard.
Palm Maintenance Before Cold Hits
Palms need specific preparation before a hard freeze, and most of that work is not something homeowners should be doing themselves.
Removing dead fronds from the crown before a freeze reduces the dead material that traps cold air around the growing tip. Improper pruning -- cutting too far into the green fronds or cutting the crown too aggressively -- can damage the tree. A crew that works with palms regularly knows exactly how much to take and how to leave the tree in the best possible position going into cold weather.
If you have queen palms, sago palms, or other cold-sensitive palms on your property, having them looked at before freeze season is worth a call.
Emergency Tree Removal Is Significantly More Expensive
This is worth knowing before you decide whether to deal with a borderline tree this fall.
Emergency removal -- after a freeze kills a tree or a storm drops it -- carries a premium. Crews are booked out, the job is often more complex because the tree is down or partially fallen, and the urgency adds cost. Homeowners who deal with problem trees proactively in the fall consistently pay less than the ones who deal with them as emergencies in January or February.
If there's a tree on your property you've been watching and wondering about, don't wait for a hard freeze to make the decision for you.
OM Tree Service -- Fall and Winter Work Throughout Greater Houston
We're scheduling fall jobs throughout Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Kingwood, River Oaks, the Memorial Villages, Bellaire, Friendswood, and the wider Houston metro.
Tree assessments, deadwood removal, structural pruning, stump grinding, palm maintenance -- if you want to get your property in order before the cold hits, now is the time to get on the schedule. Fall books faster than most people expect.
Call OM Tree Service today for a free estimate. We'll walk your property and tell you exactly what needs attention before freeze season.
OM Tree Service -- Proudly serving Houston, Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Kingwood, and surrounding communities.