Although the shortest month of the year, February always seems like the longest to me. The holidays are over and we’ve already endured months of cold. After being pummeled with snow storm after snow storm, after ice storm, this year’s winter seems like it will never end. Back-breaking snow shoveling, LIRR cancellations and delays, and sky-high heating bills have become the everyday drudgery of our lives. Navigating around sudden potholes, snow-covered sidewalks, and black ice have made getting anywhere not only difficult, but also dangerous. I see this hopeless frustration in the drawn faces of strangers on the street, in the disheartened facebook posts of friends, in the anxiety with which coworkers discuss the latest weather forecasts… Seriously, we all seem to be sighing, will this winter ever end?!
Today, February 6th, we finally seem to be getting a glimpse of the spring that will eventually come. Although it’s only a high of 42°F, dozens of joggers are outside, gleefully smiling that they don’t have to run with a parka on. The sun feels warm and the air smells fresh. The hope and renewal of spring seems to have peeked into our collective unconscious. Life doesn’t seem so bad as the ice and snow melt away.
After this winter, not only do our spirits need to be restored, but also our landscapes. In particular, the recent ice storm has caused considerable damage to Long Island’s trees. Ice accumulations can increase the branch weight of trees 10 – 100 times. Branch breakage occurs when the weight of the ice exceeds the wood’s resistance to failure, or when the added weight further stresses an already weakened area. On average, US ice storms cost $226 million annually in monetary losses to forests, trees, utility lines, property, agriculture, and commerce! (See Trees and Ice Storms by Hauer, Dawson, and Werner, 2006).
Photo: Eastern Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) covered in ice, Commack
The first step in restoring trees after an ice storm, is to remove all trees deemed too hazardous to leave standing. This can be determined by an ISA Certified Arborist. For example, trees that have split in two, or that have been uprooted will likely need to be removed immediately. Trees that have had over 50% of their branches broken will also likely need to be removed. Evaluating which trees should be removed needs to be done on a case by case basis. One tree species may eventually “recover” from damages, while the same damages may lead to decay and structural defects in another species. Older trees will be less likely to recover from storm damages than younger trees.
Trees that have been damaged but do not need to be removed will need restorative pruning. This involves properly pruning broken branches to the branch collar. Promoting the development of a balanced crown should be a goal of restorative pruning. Loose bark can be cut back to where it is solidly attached to the tree. Tree mechanical support systems including cables and braces, may need to be considered in some situations. Following corrective pruning, trees should be monitored regularly to ensure that decay has not spread and that a hazardous situation has not developed.
Photo: Although covered in ice, flower buds of Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica) give us hope of spring
Just as we need to be actively restored after a rough winter, so too do our trees and shrubs. Instead of impatiently waiting for February to be over and done with, let’s use this month to prepare ourselves and our landscapes for spring. Let’s recondition ourselves with positive thinking and let’s restore our damaged trees with corrective pruning. Whatever the groundhog says, spring is coming!
