Homegrown: More blizzard damage

As two editors at The Gazette coped with uprooted trees during December's blizzard, we wondered if the damage could be drought-related.

Had the deepest roots died off, leaving shallower roots less capable of keeping trees upright?

Linn County master gardeners Debbie Main and Sue Usher said if the drought continues, we can expect more tree damage, but at this point, the causes were likely multifold.

The blizzard began with ice that coated tree limbs, followed by snow that further weighted down the branches. Add in 50 mph winds and it's no wonder that some trees were literally pulled out of the ground.

Main and Usher said maples are among trees that are shallow-rooted and that the trees also could have previously sustained insect damage or other stressors that weakened them.