Winter Tree Care: Cold Stress Branch Breakage

Cold Stress
The winter cold can stress your trees in a numberof ways. One is the effect on mature trees when the temperature changes rapidly from daytime to nighttime. These variations in temperature can lead to stresses between the bark and inner wood, which can lead to frost cracking.

What can you do about cold stress? In many situations, especially mature trees, there is very little you can do. Often the tree has the ability to repair itself. If you have young trees you can install hard plastic tree protectors around the tree as part of your fall yard maintenance. Do not use trunk tape.

Branch Breakage

Tree branches are more vulnerable to breakage during the winter months. The wood hardens and becomes brittle. Snow and ice build-up on branches can also cause breakage and severe damage.

What can you do about branches? Make sure to prune the weak and vulnerable branches. Also removing one limb of a v-pair can help. For smaller trees and shrubs you could cover them with a sturdy tarp or box. For larger trees tie up and reinforce branches of concern.