5 steps to Help Trees Survive Winter with Little Damage

Just like your sturdy snow boots keep you safe and warm throughout winter, your trees need the same treatment. As you may have guessed, you won’t find snow boots in their size.

Instead, there’s a better way to keep your trees safe and strong this winter. With five, simple steps, your trees will stand sturdy in the heaviest winter storms.

A bit of prep now keeps your trees shapely and healthy while avoiding damage from fallen tree limbs.  

Below are the “five to survive” steps for winter tree safety.  

1. Brace Trees to Keep ‘Em Strong. Before winter, reinforce the structure and integrity of your trees.  Most importantly, check trees that loom over your car or home since those could do the most damage. Have a local arborist examine your trees for weak limbs and fortify them with cables. Cabling helps trees better withstand high winds, ice, and snow, so they’re less likely to break.
   
   
2. Prune to Minimize Fallen Limbs. Wondering when to prune trees? After tree leaves have fallen, it’s the best time to prune. Your certified arborist can best see how each limb would handle snow or ice while also removing dead, diseased or damaged branches. Tree trimming before winter storms significantly reduces fallen tree debris.
   
   
3. Inspect after Storms to Prevent Damage. When you see ice or snow pile on tree branches, your first instinct is to free them of that weight. But wait! Don’t shake ice or snow off tree branches, which can cause branches to break or damage the tree’s circulatory system. The only exception is if the snow is light and fluffy. Plus, tree pruning already removed the most vulnerable branches. The remaining branches will soon bounce back to their natural form.  If you do see any broken branches, trim them.
   
   
4. Provide Nutrition to Sustain Trees. Trees are going into their dormant stage, which is just like animals’ hibernation. To survive, they need to stock up on food and water. Before the ground freezes, feed trees with fertilizer, then water. Blanket trees with mulch to help roots stay warm and retain more moisture as well.
   
   
5. Prep Now to Avoid Common Winter Problems. Save your trees stress with prep. Have your local Davey arborist inspect for destructive insects. Then, rinse trees of harmful winter salt, which soaks up water from tree roots.
   
   

Schedule a free consultation with your local arborist to prepare your trees for winter and minimize storm damage.