Makes sense. I was definitely planning to wait til spring at the very least.
The answer is a little more complicated than "spring". Do the major work when the tree has just come out of dormancy, that is, when the tree thinks it is spring.
Last year on Jan 6 my elms starting popping out. This year they waited until Jan 7. Root work right away, and then watch for the drop to way below freezing, which happened, and put them in the garage a couple of nights. The maples haven't started yet, so they don't get any work, even when I think it is spring.
One of my indoor tropicals will start new leaves out in April (probably), one in June (probably). I will work on them then, if necessary.
The reason is that the tree is starting a burst of new growth and is all ready to grow lots of roots and new leaves. Chop all over at that time and it can recover much more easily. In the woods, of course, trees lose huge limbs whenever the tornado comes through, so they can recover OK, but you want to pick the best time, which is when the tree is bursting out.