Are your trees prepared for the extra weight and pressure snow brings in the winter months? Here in Western North Carolina, we don’t typically see an extraordinary amount of snow. However, when snow falls in the Blue Ridge, we don’t experience the fluffy, powdery stuff. Instead, our snow is heavy, wet, and overbearing to unsuspecting trees.
Preparing while the weather is still mild is the best strategy in keeping your property secure. Before snow and ice arrive, it may be best to receive a tree risk assessment by a licensed arborist.
If limbs are weak and need additional support, now would be an excellent time for cabling and bracing, prior to the threat of heavy snow. Tree cabling and bracing is the process of adding extra structural support to the tree with the use of wire cables and brace rods to prevent the failure of weak stems and branches. Installing these systems (if needed) before wintery weather is the key to success.
Pre-Winter Tree Pruning for is a simple way to protect your mature trees from ice and snow. Ice can make your limbs brittle in new ways. Pair brittleness with unpruned limbs and you may have your own version of A Nightmare Before Christmas.
Is shaking a snowy branch one of your favorite winter-pastimes? That can actually cause more harm than good. The limb snapping back into place and suddenly releasing its extra, icy weight can actually damage your tree’s circulatory system. So, no shaking branches! Let the ice and snow melt naturally, instead.
