Pro tip: stop pruning oaks after March 1 in the Midwest, my $2,400 removal proves it
Three years ago I pruned a big white oak in my neighbor's yard in Columbia, Missouri on April 12 and by July it was dropping bark on the whole west side from oak wilt. I know the wound paint crowd will fight me on this but the calendar matters more than the cut, and I won't touch an oak after March 1 now. Anyone else got a hard cutoff date they stick to, or am I being too strict?