Protecting your Trees from Winter Damage

Winter Tree Damage

Every year I see home owners ignore basic simple steps that could have saved their trees.

The first is to protect from Sunscald. This is a severe problem in young trees like the one pictured to the left. It happens from a process of freezing and thawing, usually on the SW side of the tree. Humidity penetrates young bark making it soaked in moisture. This moisture does not evaporate but is held by the bark and easily freezes because it is very exposed. The freezing process expands the bark just like a water bottle in your freezer. Then the sun comes out and thaws the bark which contracts the bark. This happens over and over until it damages the phloem and xylem just below the cork bark. The phloem and xylem carry the necessary nutrients to keep the cell structure alive, when it is damaged, that area of the tree dies leaving the exposed interior core of the tree. Here is a up close video I did with a customer this year; click here.

To protect from this damage, you need to "shade" that side by using a tree wrap or what I prefer, a card board wrap allowing air movement. Several of these are available in different styles.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nelson-Corrugated-LDPE-Tree-Guards/dp/B00D8GSG2M/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1445708506&sr=8-16&keywords=tree+wraps

Another damage issue is snow load on evergreens.

Arborvitaes have the most severe problems. The snow catches on the upper stems and weighs them down until the tree looks like this in the spring.

One option is to tie them like this to protect from snow load.
However we usually have a lot of wind in the fall and spring which these ropes will rub and tear tissue on the tree creating wear damage.

The best thing is to be pro-active and get out there and knock the snow off right after a storm using a rack or broom. Be careful though because the frozen tissue can break or tear.

If it looks like an extensive winter, with deep freeze expected. There is a netting you can purchase that works well but it can get expensive and does take time to get on and off the tree.

One issue often ignored is the need Evergreens have for water during the winter. If we are getting snow, you're fine. But recent weather patterns have given us long dry hot falls and hot dry spring weather. This has done more damage than anything else in the past two years.

Don't let your evergreens go more than a month without watering. If you have to, keep a hose in the garage where it won't freeze, so you can go out and water the trees  during mid-day when it is not freezing.

You don't have to flood the tree. Four hours with a soaker hose is usually adequate but use the water meter to find out just how wet and how deep the water got during that time period.