Noticed yellow, pale green or brown needles on your evergreens in winter? Well, winter salt may be the issue–especially if your struggling trees are facing the road or near a sidewalk.

Winter salt prevents you from slipping in winter, but it actually hurts your plants and trees by drying them out. Luckily, helping trees affected by winter salt is easy!

If you’re more a planner, select salt-tolerant evergreens to avoid the problem altogether next year.

Salt-Tolerant Evergreens for the Northeast and Salt Belt

Remember! Always pick the right tree for the right place. That includes selecting trees in your planting zone. Then, wait until the time is right to plant evergreens, usually fall or spring.

Best Salt-Tolerant Trees for Zones 2-10

  • Common juniper (zone 2-8): A small but mighty evergreen that tolerates lots of wind              

  • Eastern redcedar (zone 2-9): A sun-loving evergreen that is also drought tolerant

  • Mugo pine (zone 3-7): An adaptable evergreen that thrives in most soils and is drought tolerant

  • Southern magnolia (zone 6-8): An evergreen that wows with snow-white flowers in late spring

  • Longleaf pine (zone 7-10): A Southern classic that is drought-tolerant when established

The Benefit of Salt-Tolerant Evergreens and Trees

Winter salt can cause trees to leaf out late, grow smaller leaves or suffer from dieback.

But, some trees can simply handle winter salt better than others. Those trees have defenses that can ward of salt better, so they’re less impacted.

Plus, “Strategically placed salt-tolerant trees can act as a barrier to protect less tolerant species from salt spray,” said Coe Roberts, a certified arborist and manager of digital strategy at the Arbor Day Foundation.

The Most Important States to Plant Salt-Tolerant Trees and Evergreens

As you’d guess, it’s most beneficial to plant salt-tolerant trees in areas that get the most snow. If you live in the Salt Belt, Coe recommends planting salt-tolerant.

The Salt Belt includes Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington DC.

Read more about how winter salt can damage trees here!

Related Blog Posts

Adobestock 441943894
Property Maintenance & Landscaping

New Construction Landscaping: Things To Consider

New construction landscaping is an overwhelming task! Learn how to amend new construction soil and how to plan for a new landscape.
Read More
Best Fast Growing Shrubs
Davey Knowledge

What Plant Hardiness Zone Am I In?

Here's how to read planting zones and how to use plant hardiness zones, so you can get the best plants for your yard.
Read More

Sign Up For Free Tree & Landscaping Tips! 

Subscribe to the "The Sapling," the Davey Blog's email newsletter, for the latest tips to keep your outdoor space in tip-top shape throughout the year.

Plus, receive a free instant download of our landscape seasonal checklists when you sign up!

Get In Touch With Us!

We pride ourselves at Davey Tree on providing prompt, professional and personalized service from certified arborists that live, work and engage in your community. Contact one of our Davey Tree specialists for your residential, commercial, utility, or environmental needs.

Let's Find What
You're Looking For!

Davey uses cookies to make your experience a great one by providing us analytics so we can offer you the most relevant content. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies. View our Privacy Policy for more information.