No Tree Crisis

When winter precipitation includes heavy wet snow or freezing rain, trees must endure the weather conditions. Some are better adapted than others and coping strategies vary by tree service.

We don’t have a problem with winter. Aside from the snow and the cold and the freezing rain… okay, maybe we have a couple issues. But we have sweaters and hot cocoa and Netflix. Trees, however, do not. As the snow piles up, you may see trees bent over with their crowns nearly touching the ground, leafless and haggard. They can’t escape or hide from the cold, so how do trees survive?




So just how do our trees survive winter?

Mature trees are an asset to any home – they add beauty, increase curb appeal and provide shade on hot summer days. But when a winter storm hits, it can turn trees into torpedoes capable of smashing a roof or leveling a car. Just like any living thing, trees have adapted over time to deal with the range of environmental conditions thrown their way. In this case, freezing rain, ice-loading, or heavy wet snow. Trees that aren’t adapted to survive periodic ice loading don’t live here. We don’t find trees that can’t cope with heavy snow and ice storms.

Some trees (like pine or spruce) simply bend or fold branches to shrug off snow. Other trees (like oaks) try to stand rigid and inflexible. Stout oaks and sugar maples are famous for big heavy branches that don’t break. On the other hand, branches of beech and red maple tend to break apart under heavy snow loads.

Most of northern trees lose their leaves. That’s less surface area to carry extra weight of ice and snow. More stress on the limbs means more broken branches during ice storms. Some tree species tend to retain their leaves into early winter when they’re young. These trees are said to be marcescent.

We tend to see most damage to trees when we get those early snowstorms in the fall when the trees still have their leaves. A heavy wet October snowstorm hits trees harder than the dry snow in January.

An experienced arborist can remove overextended branches that threaten service lines on your property. If your trees affect power lines along the roads beyond your property, you’ll need to contact the utility and coordinate with them to remove the hazard.

Need motivation to take action? Keep in mind that winter storms are bad enough without having to try to get through them without electrical power.