Black Oak Trees

[Jerry Snow]

I have several Black Oak trees, some refer to them as Post Oaks, I'm not sure of true name. They are scraggly looking trees with lots of dead limbs and not much shape. When thinning. if I have a choice between a Red Oak, White Oak or Hickory, I'll cut the Black Oak. But I have several that I have to keep. When is the best time to trim and/or top a Black Oak? I have read some comments (in this forum) against topping. Would topping a Black Oak help the shape? Is there a rule of thumb or guidelines for thinning, distance between trees, etc.? Is there a best time for thinning?

[John Paul Sanborn]

Topping is bad for the shape and structure of the tree. Look at all these hits on topping
http://search.dogpile.com/texis/sear...&geo=no&fs=web

If oak wilt is in your area then dormant is the best time to prune, unless the deadwood poses a hazard to people.

Distance beteen trees is an aesthetic thing, they will compete for light and assume different classes of dominance in the landscape.

Thinning the crown of a specific tree one should work with the natural growth patterns of the tree and keep the wounds small, avoiding large wounds on the trunk.