In the last decade, we’ve seen some harsh winters; who doesn’t remember the Snowmageddon or Snowpocalypse of 2010? That winter, storm after storm heaped feet of snow at a time on the region. But this winter is different, it’s so warm, nature is confused. Instead of cold snaps and the occasional snow, this year has been nearly balmy. The forecasted high for Christmas eve is 74!

The daytime temperatures have been more than comfortable, in fact, I might have seen a mosquito sitting back and drinking a pina colada. The night time temperatures, too, have been warm and the trees are confused. Cherry trees are blooming and roses are still on the bushes. And trees are experiencing mid-summer-like sap flows.

Dangers!

Because of the warm weather, there are fungi that are taking advantage of the extra long warm spell but trees that have gone dormant are unable to fight off the fungi, so that is where we come in. Call us if you need help! If a tree is not dormant and is suddenly plunged into cold weather it can sustain damage to the reproductive structures of the tree.

What You Can Do

There is no way to protect large trees, but if you have smaller trees and shrubs that are not dormant and cold weather arrives (it’s got to come at some point, right?) you can throw a sheet over the plant or even wrap it in burlap when you see a storm approaching. Put extra mulch around the base of the tree to protect the roots. Remember to give it an extra feeding in the spring.

Call us for any tree services you require. We offer tree removal, tree stump grinding and tree and shrub trimming.