If you’ve never heard the Yonder Mountain String Band song “Snow on the Pines”, we highly recommend you check it out. Not only does it feature some pretty amazing bluegrass picking, it is also an excellent description of our winters here in Edmonton – furthermore, we love any song that features trees in the lyrics (we’re just nerds like that).
It truly is the season of “snow on the pines” here in Edmonton, which means that our crews are suiting up in their warm gear to go out and continue the good work of tree pruning, tree and tree stump removal jobs, and offering our sagely arborist advice to anyone who will listen.
In this post, we’ll discuss some particular concerns that arise in the wintertime – things that are important to keep in mind to maintain your trees’ health.
First and foremost, as we discussed in a separate post this month, coniferous trees are pretty good at handling themselves in the winter. There’s a reason that spruce and fir trees thrive in the harsh climate of northern Canada, they evolved to withstand the cold and will typically beat out the competition in any forest. You’re probably good to leave your pine trees well alone. They certainly do benefit from quality soil and mulch and appreciate lots of sunlight, and of course you’ll want to have them pruned one in a while, but they are sturdy trees and once you set them up properly, they’re good at looking after themselves.
Deciduous trees are another matter altogether. Their bark doesn’t tend to grow quite as thick and can often crack in the winter cold. A trees’ bark is basically equivalent to a human’s skin, so you can imagine what kind of trouble cracked bark can lead to. If the problem persists into the spring, you may find disease as well as unwanted insects feeding off the tree.
You may think it prudent to knock snow off a tree branch if it is under a lot of stress, however, the jarring motion could cause it to rip. While clearing vulnerable branches is a good way to avoid safety hazards, it’s best to hire expert arborists in Edmonton for the job, or else the resultant crack at the base of the limb may heal improperly, leading to complications.
Unfortunately, there are some lovely trees that simply do not hold up well in cold, snowy conditions: elm, willow, true poplar, silver maple, box-elder and hackberry are all brittle-branched trees that take a heavy beating from the snow. If you have a small specimen that you are trying to nurture, it is certainly possible to wrap it for the winter for protection – just be sure to unwrap it in the spring to avoid hindering healthy growth.
Some deciduous trees like sycamores, flowering dogwood and red and white oak are all pretty sturdy trees if you’re looking for some nice deciduous trees to withstand the winter. Without a doubt, these deciduous trees will benefit from the services of a skilled tree pruning company in Edmonton – however, we also encourage you to learn about your trees and get involved with a little bit of amateur pruning on the side. It’ll make you feel more in touch with nature, and give you a sense of pride every time you look out the window.
