Canadian Arborist Shares Best Cold Weather Injury Prevention Tips
During Canadian winters, arborists know that it is common for temperatures to nose-dive well below freezing. As expected, it is hard for even cold tolerant trees to survive such weather. After all, trees typically contain a lot of water and we all know what happens when water freezes. It expands and that expansion may cause parts of the tree to crack open.
Of course not all trees crack when faced with freezing temperatures and there is a very good reason for that. Their systems are designed to handle temperature changes. For example, Canadian trees often produce more sugar as well as thicker sap in the lead up to winter and that helps somewhat. Their cells also start to change, becoming more elastic to apparently accommodate the severe temperature fluctuations.
Unfortunately, come fall, not all trees are healthy enough to begin their seasonal change-overs. And even the healthiest of trees and shrubs may need an arborist’s intervention in order to make it through those sub-freezing stretches our country is so well-known for. So, the best course of action is to have the trees inspected and prepared for the worst. That said, here are a few of our arborists’ best cold weather injury prevention tips:
Tips
- Establish barriers to protect the trees from frigid winds, ice and sub-zero temperatures. Barriers vary per situation and may include burlap or mulch. The goal should be to shield the trees from as much cold weather mayhem as possible.
- Take steps to prevent moisture loss, which tends to happen as sap thickens and more sugar is produced. In some cases, this means relying on professional, anti-desiccant treatments or the strategic application of water. Care has to be taken with both methods otherwise they could increase the trees’ chances of dying.
To speak with an arborist about winter watering, anti-desiccants and seasonal barriers, please contact us. We specialize in preparing trees for Canadian winters and more. You can follow along on Facebook and Instagram, or you can contact us here if you have any questions.
