Heavy pruning this time of year??

[Smoke]

Where I live I can prune maples 365 days a year. I prefer Fall. Obey your weather.

 

[Tieball]

Make sure to cut back to a live bud. That prevents dieback.

I do not have any scientific results or tracking from several years. However, I have followed the advice to spring prune that I received over time. The spring prune gives me the opportunity to be sure I am cutting back to points that are alive and that areas will continue growth, or heal over if desired, after the pruning.

Currently I am wondering about lower branch pruning. I need to remove branches from low on a trunk and don't want to regrow anything in that area. I just want a healing over to happen. I still think spring is best so that after I remove branches they have a more seasonal ability to heal-over during the new growth season (at least start healing over anyway). I'm in an area of rough, frigid and long winters. I think pruning in autumn, in my area, results in tiny cracks and areas of bark separation from the trunk happening to easily. Then winters happens and significant die backs occur. Spring pruning has prevented that significant die back.

 

[papymandarin]

i do hard pruinings and structural pruining in august (but no cut back of current year shoots), after the summer heats when trees start to grow again, it gives them plenty of time to heal before cold as they are still very active (this fact also assures nearly 0 risks of die back) and channels their last growth spurt in useful areas only. It's also better here since cuts done in fall or early spring are open doors for fungal/bacterial infections in our fresh and very humid climate (Belgium)