Winter Tree Evaluation

A common question I’ve heard in my time as a professional arborist is “What do you do in the winter months?”. Well, that’s easy – making soups, pond hockey, ice fishing, and skiing. Actually, arborists spend a lot of time in the winter months evaluating trees and shrubs. The question really aims at how do you assess the health of a dormant plant? During the winter, trees and shrubs still reveal details of needs and health conditions. Often certain issues can be blocked by leaf growth in the growing season. During the dormant season, signs of these issues may be less commonly known, but to the experienced Arborists’ eyes these are often the best times to evaluate. Beyond that, without the summertime rush, the winter months allow more time on a property.

So, what might nudge you to contact your Wachtel Tree Science Arborist for a winter visit? Some common concerns that are more visible during the winter months as viewed from a slight distance:
– Dead limb ends have a dull appearance vs live branch ends that are shiny in the sun.
– Broken limbs hanging in the canopy, sometimes these still retain dried leaves.
– Thinning evergreens, or needle discoloration brown, red or purple.
– Branch density or attachment issues, and canopy form.
– Mushrooms, hollows, irregular shape of the trunk, cracked or discolored bark may indicate injury and decay.

Closer inspection:
– Overwintering eggs or nymphs of numerous insects. These can require careful inspection, but winter means identification and treatment can happen ahead of damage.
– Dried or brittle branches, or with missing leaf buds or bark peeling and coming off.
– Needles with damage from Spruce spider mites have lost chlorophyll and are less green.

Do not hesitate to contact your Wachtel Tree Science Arborist for a winter visit. Don’t worry, we can always dress for the weather. If you have a specific concern or just want an update of current tree and shrub condition or treatment plan winter is a great time. This allows us another opportunity to update our records and provide great tree service.

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