Payson and Rim Country have abundant examples of badly pruned trees: from mangled maples to pitiful Ponderosa pines. Donât force your beautiful shade trees to suffer from improper pruning. Winter is the optimal season for pruning â trees have dropped their leaves and are dormant during the coldest months of January and February â making them more adaptive to pruning. Cooperative Extension Agent Chris Jones and Master Gardener Jan Groth team up this week to host an online webinar at 11 a.m., Thursday Jan. 21, taking both camera and pruning shears outside for a live demonstration of proper pruning techniques. As always, the program is offered free and online by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Gila County, part of a weekly webinar series exploring a variety of horticultural and natural resource topics applicable to Gila County.