The weather in most urban areas of the Pacific Northwest is mild compared to many other parts of the country. It’s often jokingly suggested that the weather here — especially west of the Cascades — falls into just two categories: wet and dry.
However, as is usually the case, the reality is a little more complex. The people of the great PNW experience four full seasons.
To be sure, the beginning and end of those four seasons rarely conform to the “official” seasonal start and stop dates on the calendar. But make no mistake: Most Northwesterners are more than familiar with tending spring gardens, baking in the hot summer sun, raking piles of fallen leaves and shoveling the occasional mountain of snow.
Homeowners, property owners, commercial developers and others are keenly aware of these duties. It takes a lot of work to maintain yards and common areas so that they’re not only beautiful, well-managed and safe, but conform to local rules and regulations, whether from cities or homeowners associations.
When winter comes a-knockin’, there are extra precautions that must be taken. So let’s take a few moments to focus on winter tree care.
Urban Forest Pro
Our admired and beloved urban tree canopy can pose continuing challenges to property owners, especially in winter. Damaged branches can fall onto people, structures, vehicles and power lines. Soggy winter weather can lead to tree splits, cracks and root problems.
We’ve covered many of these winter tree care challenges in the Urban Forest Pro blog, but it’s worth taking a deeper dive into some of the specifics.
First, though, it’s important to remember that many of the problems we’ll discuss in this article are best left to professionals. Considering how enormous some of our valuable resident trees can be — not to mention how important they are both culturally and aesthetically — it’s wise to entrust their ongoing care to Urban Forest Pro.
Each and every one of our arborists is ISA-certified, meaning our customers, both residential and commercial, trust us to care for their trees as if they were our own.
Contact Urban Forest Pro today to find out how we can help!
How to care for your trees in the winter
Think of winter tree care as the Four P’s.
Pruning
Preparing trees for winter requires several steps, depending on the type of tree. For example, deciduous trees (those that shed their leaves) use their dormant periods to renew their energy reserves for the coming year’s growth. That makes winter a good time for tree pruning and other maintenance work. Pruning promotes the development of healthy branch structures, and the pruning process rids the tree of any limbs that may have been damaged or diseased.
Planting
Another timely activity for the winter is tree planting. As long as the ground is not frozen, it’s totally fine to plant a tree in the winter, although it’s important to take extra precautions when planting in or near soggy soils. Make sure planting is done correctly, too — i.e., the right tree is planted in the right location, the soil is properly prepared, etc.
Prettifying
Winter is also a splendid time to consider adding decorative trees to your property. Urban Forest Pro has plenty of tips on adding color to your winter landscape.
Prepping
Winter is a good time to prep your property for a strong growing season by eliminating weeds, cleaning up the soil and, if possible, testing the soil itself. (The certified arborists at Urban Forest Pro can take care of soil testing for you; it’s just one of the many tree services we provide.) If you have fruit trees, they will likely require additional care and maintenance in order to ensure a bountiful harvest come the next growing season. Fruit trees require proper nutrients — and it’s absolutely vital to monitor the trees for pests and disease.
Contact Urban Forest Pro today and see how much work we can get done for you in time for spring!
This post first appeared on https://www.urbanforestprofessionals.com