How Can I Deal With Snow Damaged Trees

An overabundance of snow can destroy shrubs and trees by splitting, bending, and breaking them. This will make them uproot or topple over.

While snow brings its share of destruction, it also shields foliage and their roots from harsh changes in temps that could harm or kill. When dealing with snow damage trees, you must remember that whether trees will be hurt in one of these ways is based on many things. Broad leaf evergreens, for instances, can’t take as much snow weight as conifer evergreens.

A tree's shape can determine how well it will endure heavy snow. Fir, spruce, and pine trees with spread branches are most likely to get snow damaged than steep-angled branch trees.

Snow Damage And Trees: Factors to take into consideration

Evergreen shrubs with narrow, tall growth habits planted as foundation scenes or in hedges are a prime example of a tree that doesn't deal with heavy snow very well. They tend to grow tall, with multi-stemmed limbs that are close to the ground.

Snow makes the limbs separate. Instead of having tall evergreens in areas that receive a lot of wet, heavy snow, plant little, rounded woody-stem trees. Make sure you plant them away from any structure, so their roots can grow.

A tree's makeup is also an issue in whether it will be damaged by ice and snow. A tree with right-angle, solid limbs will be less trouble than one with vertical, narrow limbs. The snow type is a crucial factor in possible tree damage. Wet snow is more harmful since it’s heavier.

The time of the year (season) for snowfall is also a factor to be taken into consideration. With wet snow in March (when there aren’t any leaves on the tree), the tree might be able to resist snow damage pretty good. But that same snow in early fall or late spring (when the branches are covered with leaves) could bring excruciating weight.

If your trees do become snow damage, contact a Rochester tree care company to assess the damage and provide affordable, practical solutions to get your tree healthy and vibrant in time for spring. ​

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