December 10th

By Mutt Mulligan

Tips for salvaging ice-damaged trees

Much of the country has been in a deep freeze for days, and some areas are still digging out from under layers of ice and snow. If your trees and shrubs were buried, here are a few tips for minimizing the damage.

• Be careful when assessing your trees as branches and ice chunks can fall at any moment. Don’t approach a branch that is caught up in a power line.
• Don’t try to shake heavy ice or snow off the branches and limbs – you may do more harm than good.
• Bark can tear when branches fall off. Repair any torn bark to keep insects at bay and avoid disease by smoothing the ragged edges and removing all loose bark to the point where it is firmly attached.
• Unless there is heavy damage, you will likely want to wait until spring to determine if a tree needs to be removed. Healthy trees – and especially those that didn’t split or break because of the heavy weight – will likely recover with time.
• If you had a lot of downed branches and limbs, consider having your trees professionally pruned when it warms up to prevent damage in future storms.

For more tips and questions to ask yourself to assess if a tree can be salvaged or needs to be removed visit this link. To learn more about the value of trees and green spaces download TurfMutt’s Family Activities Guide.

Do you have any photos of your snow-covered yard and trees? Share them here or on TurfMutt’s Facebook page.