Corridor arborists find little winter damage in trees

With the long, cold winter now behind us, will damage to the landscape serve as a continuing reminder of just how bad things were?

Local arboriculture professionals say probably not, at least when it comes to trees.

'If a tree was healthy going into the winter, it most likely is healthy coming back out,” said Jason Herring, a tree climber with D&D Tree Service in Cedar Rapids.

Dave Wyant, owner of Grateful Trees, which serves Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas, concurred.

'So far this spring I haven't seen any problems in healthy trees,” Wyant said.

These observations should be welcome news to property owners who count on trees to increase property values, reduce annual heating and cooling costs, and add natural beauty to the landscape.

Despite long stretches of frigid temperatures during what the NOAA National Climatic Data Center said was the seventh coldest winter in Iowa history, trees fared better this year than some recent years due to a lack of other extreme weather events.

'A couple of years ago, we had bad wind and ice that really did a number on the trees,” Wyant recalled. 'This year, there has been a lot less repair work required.”

'It may have been cold and windy, but there wasn't a whole lot of ice,” Herring said.

That's not to say all trees emerged from winter unscathed. Property owners should examine their trees for damage and take measures to prevent further damage during violent spring and summer storms.

'If the tree had a problem before winter started, it's probably worse now,” Wyant said. 'When there is prolonged cold, ice works its way into cracks in the tree and makes the cracks bigger due to expansion and contraction.”

If a tree shows signs of instability, such as cracks in major limbs or dead branches, an arborist can assess and repair the damage, remove the diseased, damaged or dead limbs, or remove the whole tree if it presents a hazard.

Wyant, who has been in the business for 35 years, said some winter-related problems in trees may not materialize until later in the spring or summer. Trees located next to driveways and sidewalks are susceptible to damage from excessive exposure to de-icing salts.

The damage may not appear until a tree is fully leafed out.

'If the new leaves look like they are burned on the edges, that may be a sign of salt burn,” Wyant said.

Wyant said one way to combat damage from de-icing salts is to flush the salt out of the soil by watering at-risk trees two to three times a week for a few weeks during spring.

Robert Way, arborist with Arbor Tech Tree Service in Cedar Rapids, said that while he has not seen any winter-related problems so far this spring in healthy, established trees, he has noticed evidence of 'winter burn” in smaller evergreen trees and shrubs.

'A lot of plants are burned to an orangish-brown color on the south side, where the sun hits them all day,” Way noted. 'I've seen more discolored shrubs this year than I've ever seen before.”

Winter burn occurs when evergreen plants are exposed to full sun and wind during extreme cold. The dry air pulls moisture out of the plant's needles or broadleaves, and the plant's roots cannot replace the water fast enough because the ground is frozen.

As a result, the needles turn brown.

Way, who has worked with trees for more than 30 years, said winter burn damage was worse this year than in past winters because of the long period of snow cover.

'Snow acts as a magnifying glass on sunny days,” he said. 'Because it stayed so cold for so long, the shrubs never got any relief from the snow.”

Damaged plants may recover if new green growth emerges to cover the brown needles. In severe cases, the plant will not green out again and will die.

'The next few weeks should tell us more,” Way noted.

While most healthy trees are hardy enough to withstand harsh winter conditions, warmer weather can bring a new set of problems.

'Insects and disease are far worse on trees than winter,” Way said.

One upside of the winter's extreme cold may be reduced pressure on trees from harmful insects.

'Last year, we saw almost no damage from Japanese beetles, and I'm hoping this year will be the same,” Way said, speculating that cold weather helped control the population last year.

A big concern this spring is the expected arrival of emerald ash borer. While Herring, Wyant, and Way all said they have not seen evidence of the destructive insect in Linn County, their customers are taking precautions.

Way said some people are using a chemical application in an effort to prevent infestation.

Some of Wyant's clients are opting for more extreme measures.

'I'm taking out a lot more ash trees this spring.”

But so far this spring, conditions appear normal.

'Everything is enjoying the nice weather,” Herring said. 'The buds are popping out real nice.”