Winter Tree Care Tips
Tree care is important all year round, but it is especially crucial for the winter months. Cold weather, snow, and ice can all damage trees, but with proper winter tree care you can minimize this damage to ensure the health and longevity of your trees.
One important step to protect trees during winter is to keep road salt or sodium chloride away from them. Salt interferes with the roots ability to absorb water, oxygen and nutrients. Look for melting products that contain calcium, potassium or magnesium chloride.
Another winter care tip is to protect your trees from snow and ice damage. Heavy snow and ice can weigh down and break branches. If your tree is straining under the weight of snow and ice, use a gentle upward motion to push the snow off. Do not break ice off branches as this can cause more damage than the ice alone.
For young trees, it may be a good idea to use plastic tree guards during the winter months to protect against hungry rodents who love to chew on bark. These pests will gnaw enough bark to expose the inner wood. If this damage exceeds more than halfway around the tree’s trunk, it likely won’t survive. Plastic tree guards are a simple fix to get your young trees through winter.
In addition to these tips, there are several other steps that you can take to care for trees during the winter. These include providing adequate water in the fall, especially if the weather has been dry, and applying mulch to help retain moisture and protect roots from the freezing cold.
If you need the assistance or advice of professional arborists, contact us at Johnson Ops today! We employ ISA Certified Arborists, and specialize in providing the highest quality tree care to homeowners, businesses, and communities, throughout the Coulee Region.