How to Shield Young Trees from Winter and its Inhabitants

The bark at the foot of your young trees has been chewed? You have concerns that a hard Minnesota winter will be the end of your new saplings? Then you are likely thinking of what can be done in the way of protection against ravenous animals and the cold before the snow comes down.

At Birch Tree Care we have put our experience to work for Twin Cities homeowners in safeguarding their trees for some time, 2015 to be exact. The ISA Certified Arborists on our staff are well versed in what a young tree has to endure through the long cold months and we are on hand to see it through. We can be reached 24/7 at (651) 504-6097.

There is no mistaking the fragility of a young tree compared with a mature specimen. The roots are not as deep, the trunks lack the thick covering an older tree has and the bark is thin. Left to its own devices a tree in good shape in October may be in bad way by March in this part of Minnesota.

Why Winter Takes Its Toll

It is not just the cold that does damage to a young tree; usually it is a confluence of things. From Anoka to northern Dakota and the counties of Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington, these are the threats we encounter most:

• Bark and tender branches being put to the tooth of deer, voles, mice or rabbits
• Sunscald, the result of the trunk cracking when night cold refreezes bark that was warmed by the day
• Limbs broken or bent under the weight of ice and snow
• Frost heave which forces shallow roots up as the soil thaws and freezes
• Foliage and bark burned and desiccated by road salt
• Needles and buds left dry by the wind

One of these will set a tree back, in concert they will put an end to it.

Dealing with Animals

Finding out in the spring that an animal has gotten to your tree is disheartening. Rabbits and rodents will make short work of the bark close to the ground; should they get around the trunk they girdle it, stopping the flow of nutrients and in most cases dooming the tree.

You can forestall this with a physical barrier. Put up a commercial guard or a cylinder of hardware cloth on the lower trunk, one that is high enough to go over the snow and a few inches into the ground; a rabbit on packed snow can put in a surprising reach. With deer you need taller fencing or something to protect the trunk, as they will rub their antlers and shred the bark in a matter of minutes. And do not leave a thick ring of mulch right up to the bark, it is too inviting a spot for a vole or mouse. Pull it back a couple of inches.

A Word on Cold and Sun

Late fall is the time to put a light colored wrap on the trunk to stave off sunscald; it will hold the bark temperature even and reflect the sun. Come spring take it off so as not to impede growth or hold in moisture. Make sure the tree is well watered before the freeze sets in, a dry tree does not stand up to the elements like one with good hydration. Some mulch, not touching the trunk, will insulate the roots and mitigate frost heave.

Other things worth doing:

• Do not let shoveled snow with its share of road salt pile at the base of the tree
• If the wind is strong, put in a loose stake for any new plantings
• Brush the snow from young branches, do not let it build up
• Any weak or crossing branches should be pruned in late fall to prevent them from catching ice

An arborist’s help

You can manage some of the damage yourself but if you have a yard full of young plantings and would like a professional to put together a plan, or are in doubt about a tree’s chances after an animal has been at it, we are here for that. Our arborists will do a Free Inspection and tell you how your trees are faring before the worst of winter. For those with a number of trees on the property we also do inventory and mapping with GIS.

We are a fully licensed and insured operation and have put in our time with the community, not to mention our Watermark Community Tree Planting and the Fridley Emerald Ash Borer program.

Make the call to Birch Tree Care at (651) 504-6097 and put your mind at ease. There is no point waiting until spring to see if your young trees have made it. We are available round the clock to help them get through the winter.