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Fort Collins Tree Damage Vast But Will Pass

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The two recent snowstorms and the resulting tree damage are cause for reflection.  Although it is all in hindsight, I wonder how we might have had a different outcome.  Yet life is short and I am not one to get bogged down, so I am also looking for the silver linings.

While we humans were enjoying the unseasonably warm temperatures, our green friends were 8-10 days behind schedule with the leaf dropping process.  Additionally, City Forester Tim Buchanan told me that when the cold came and the temperature hit 13 degrees Fahrenheit, it essentially froze the leaves on some trees by blighting the abscission layer – the place where the leaves would otherwise have detached from.  Even the heavy wet snow wasn’t enough to take down the leaves at that point, other than by whole limbs. These brown withered leaves will gradually fall through the winter as they further dry out and wind breaks them off.

Our trees are one of our greatest landscape investments due to the number of years it takes for them to mature and the huge impact they have on our built and outdoor environment.  All the more reason to practice preventative maintenance and care with them, making sure that pruning work of varying degrees is done every several years to avoid major problems.  And yet even still, the unpredictable can happen.

In the Old Town area, most of what came down are ash, locust and elm branches, along with maple, willow and fruit trees.  Stressed trees that might have already lost leaves, like many cottonwoods, were luckier.  And we saw that it takes more than nine inches of heavy wet snow to bring down the branches of evergreens. 

Although we can try planting trees that grow more slowly and typically have stronger wood and form, this sort of thing will continue to happen when conditions come together for a perfect storm.

While it is heartbreaking to see, it is an opportunity for learning, growth and finding the beauty in all things. 

We now know that flush pruning cuts do more harm than good.  To correctly prune your damaged trees for faster healing, follow the advice given at http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/1724.html.     It’s one of those great Plantalk Colorado resources. 

Although the branches that left gaping wounds at the main trunk may lead to further deterioration of the health of the trees, new growth will sprout forth in the years to come.  Be vigilant in monitoring this growth, as you may get vertical growing suckers that need to be thinned out, since this upright growth is not as desirable as the more naturally-angled limb growth.

My arborist friends who work in big trees probably have mixed emotions about the additional work this fall.  And there will be a surplus of woody mulch for the public to access for the coming growing season.  Once again, we saw the neighborly spirit of our community when people rallied together to help each other.  I am grateful for the moisture which is still soaking into the ground that will help plants rebound in the spring.

As we know, this too shall soon pass.  Hopefully when similar conditions arise in the future, and surely they will, we will take more heed at shaking the heavy well snow off whatever trees we can.