Winter's heavy snow and ice, as well as frozen soil conditions can damage cherished trees and shrubs in suburban landscapes. Even areas without major snowfall experience high winds and huge fluctuations in temperatures during winter. But homeowners can lessen the adverse effects of winter weather with preventative maintenance.
What can happen in winter, and how you can avoid it
Branches of trees can break due to the excessive weight of ice or snow. Proper pruning encourages the formation of the strongest possible branches and branch attachment. When pruning alone isn't enough, properly installed cables and rigid braces can add support to a weakened part of the tree.
Winter winds cause evergreens to lose moisture from their needles. Even some deciduous trees suffer from winter drying. If water is not available as moisture is drawn from living cells, permanent damage will result. The prevention consists of planting only hardy species in areas of prolonged exposure, watering plants adequately in the fall, and mulching to insulate the soil and roots from severe cold.
On sunny days in the winter, the tree's trunk and main limbs can warm to 15 degrees higher than the air temperature. As soon as the sun's rays stop reaching the stem, its temperature plummets, causing injury or permanent damage to the bark. The two main types of injury are known as sun scald and frost cracking. The effects of sun scald and frost cracking can be reduced by sound arboricultural practices to maintain overall health, and also by covering the trunks of your, susceptible trees with a suitable tree wrap.
Winter is a good time to prune
Most skilled arborists prefer pruning when trees are dormant. With no leaves on the tree, the arborist is better able to evaluate its architecture and spot dead or diseased branches. In addition, since the ground is frozen, damage to the turf underneath the tree due to falling limbs and dire tracks is negligible. This is also a good time to check trees for diseases and other damage.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN PRUNING
PRUNING TYPES:
1. Clean - Selective pruning to remove one or more of the following parts: dead, diseased, and/or broken branches from tree.
2. Thin - Selective pruning to reduce density of live branches in tree.
3. Raise/Elevate - Selective pruning of tree to provide vertical clearance.
4. Reduce - Selective pruning to decrease height and/or spread of tree.
Specialty Pruning:
5. Vista pruning — Selective pruning of tree to allow a specific view.
6. Restoration - Selective pruning to improve the structure, form, and appearance of trees that have been severely headed, vandalized, damaged, and/or neglected.
7. Young Tree Pruning - Pruning to establish proper structure for a young or newly transplanted tree.
8. Candling — Pruning the end growth bud or 2/3 of the new soft growth from pine trees.
9. Pollarding -The maintenance of a tree by making internodal cuts to reduce the size of a young tree, followed the annual removal of shoot growth at its point of origin.
10. Espalier - The combination of pruning, supporting, and training branches to orient a plant in one plane.
OTHER TERMS
1. Cut Stump to Grade - After tree removal, cut trunk as close to ground level as possible.
2. Stump Grinding - Removal of stump 6 to 18 inches below ground by use of a specialized grinding machine. Backfill hole with generated wood chips.
