October-February is a good time to prune your Shore Pines it will help minimize insect attacks. First you want to prune out dead, broken, crossed, diseased, weak crouched branches. Then you can start to shape the tree. You never want to remove more than 30% of the foliage. Make sure you do not damage the collar when pruning, on larger branches use the 3 cut method. It is always important to leave as little of a nub as possible when removing branches, doing so will speed up healing time. In areas of high winds you may want to thin the tree to reduce its sail, to pass more wind through the tree. You can do this by removing some of the small internal branches and branches growing in a down ward direction, doing so will also give it a layered look.
Appling Lime to Lawns:
Winter is a great time to apply lime to your lawns, if you need it. First it best to get a soil test, to see if you need to lime, if the PH is below 6 you may want to apply lime. It is best to apply pelletized lime it is more expensive but is made into dust-free pellets which dissolve with subsequent rains or irrigation. A pulverized lime is powdery and messy to apply, often causing lime dust to blow everywhere. Having a PH from 6 to 7 will help release nutrients, giving you a nice dark green lawn with the proper fertilizer. Neutralizing the soils PH is also a good way to deter weed and moss growth which is usually a big issue on the central Oregon coast.