Hi there,
as the per the picture this english oak has fully turned for winter but the leaves are not really dropping.
Is it ok to snip them off at the base/petiole?
Id like to get into the tree to remove some wiring thats diging in and use the leaves to insulate the crown of my tree fern before the weather drops next week.
Many thanks

You should be able to gently pull the leaves off now, They should come away easily, if they don't I would leave them for another week then try again. They will drop off naturally soon. Looks a nice tree.

I do remove the leafs of all my decidious trees this time of the year. The trees are in the greenhouse now and I don't want them to fall on the benches. Those that cannot be removed by hand I remove with scissors.

Yes, very nice tree! Pleas add a photo after the leafs is removed.

By removing the old leaves, the tree get maximum amount of light inside, this is very good for the development of the new buds for next growing season.