Maintenance Window Calendar: When Which Pruning Is Allowed
47 seasonal care windows are defined across 31 plant profiles, setting out in which months pruning or maintenance work is professionally appropriate. For hedge and shrub pruning, a breeding-season closure additionally applies from March to October under Art. 18 of the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (NHG) — a radical cutback during this period is generally restricted.
- Plant profiles
- 31
- Total care windows
- 47
- Breeding-season closure
- March – October
- Legal basis
- NHG Art. 18
- As of
- 22.07.2026
Why the closure runs to October, not just September
An earlier version of this calendar ended the closure in September. On review, it turned out that several cantonal nature-conservation ordinances, as well as hunting-ordinance practice (linked to the Hunting Act, JSG, because of autumn migration and late broods), extend to the end of October. September would have understated the actual protection period — the window was corrected accordingly.
What the closure does not prohibit
A gentle shaping or maintenance cut that does not disturb nesting birds generally remains permitted. What is restricted is a radical cutback or the clearing of hedges and field shrubs — that is, interventions that could actually destroy or impair a nesting site.
For your business
A calendar window that correctly reflects the breeding season protects against poor planning: a radical hedge cut scheduled for October can be flagged directly as a conflict in this calendar, rather than only being noticed out in the field.
For the commissioning authority
Documented maintenance planning that follows breeding-season requirements is a relevant duty-of-care argument for public green spaces.
What this does not mean
- The windows are conservatively modelled as covering the whole breeding season; individual cantons may set narrower or wider dates — cantonal law takes precedence.
- A gentle maintenance cut generally remains possible; the exact boundary with a restricted radical cutback must be assessed case by case.
- The reference climate zone is the Swiss Central Plateau (Mittelland) — higher altitudes shift the actual phenological windows (not the legal breeding-season closure itself).
Frequently asked questions
- May I cut a hedge in August?
- August falls within the breeding-season closure (March–October) — a radical cutback is restricted, while a gentle shaping/maintenance cut generally remains possible.
- Does the closure apply to all plant species?
- It primarily affects hedge and shrub pruning measures where a bird nesting site could be affected — not every maintenance measure on every plant.