Tips for Winter Tree Protection

Winter can be a harsh time for plants, even for the plants in your yard that seem the toughest—namely, your trees. Find out how to help your trees last through the winter and come back strong in the spring using the following tips.

• Shake Off Snow and Ice – Though snowy trees are a beautiful sight, built up snow and ice can strain tree branches to the breaking point. You can use a broom to gently shake the branches and brush the snow away, but be careful not to shake too roughly and cause the branches to crack. If the branches of your tree are sagging under the weight of the snow, it’s a good indication that a brushing is in order.

   

  

  Protect Your Trees During the Harsh Winter Months

• Wrap Them Up Warm – It seems silly, but trees actually can benefit from being wrapped up during intense winter storms such as ice storms. If you have a heavy storm in your forecast, you may want to add wrapping your trees in burlap fabric to your list of safety precautions.
• Provide a Stable Temperature –You can use plastic wrap to help trees maintain a stable temperature in winter. This is important because of a winter phenomenon known as “sun scald,” which is when freezing trees are exposed to bright winter sunlight, causing the bark of the tree to come out of dormancy only to be killed when the sun is blocked or goes down again. This will harm the tree, but can be prevented by wrapping trees in plastic wrap, paying special attention to the south/southwest sides.
• Protect Trunks – The trunks of your trees can do with a little protection in the late fall and early winter, as wild animals will eat parts of your tree and use others for shelter-building. Trees whose bark is stripped away at the base can become sick and even die. If you don’t want your trees used by animals for these purposes, you can wrap the bases of your trees in wire mesh.
• Fertilize in Fall – Fertilizing your lawn in fall is a great way to ensure that all of your lawn plants are healthy enough to withstand the challenges they’ll face in winter. However, you should only fertilize in the fall if the weather will not reach below freezing temperatures during the winter, as it will keep them “awake” during winter when they should go dormant. If your winters are fairly mild, fertilization will simply give your tree some extra strength.