Thoughts about the ongoing damage caused by the December Ice Storm

Beauty: First, a look at the victims
Trees are great to have around.  They provide beauty, flowers, fruits, fall color, and wonderful shady bowers in which to hang one’s summer hammock.  Oh, for those peaceful Saturday naps in the shelter of a great tree.

But, these giants of the plant world deserve a closer look.  There are many amazing facts about trees which are worth considering, but I’ll focus on one of them here.  It even comes with its own vocab word.  Thigmomorphogenesis is the process by which a tree thickens in caliper (and becomes stronger) in response to the wind.  This process, in combination with the race for light which happens in a shady forest, is the reason that a lone tree in an open field will be much thicker and stronger than a tree in the middle of the forest.

If one were to remove the protective barrier of wind-tested trees from around the edge of a forest, the interior trees would suddenly be exposed to tests of wind they were not built to withstand.  This is often what happens when a development is cut through a wooded area in order to sell wooded lots.

As trees are removed to make way for streets and houses, the remaining trees become large “flagpoles” with tall, slender trunks supporting a little foliage at the top.  Untested by the wind, and therefore not strengthened by thigmomorphogenesis, these trees are highly susceptible to damage from windstorms, and can be dangerous to houses and people.

Info: The damage caused by the Ice Storm
But alas, many trees were greatly harmed by the ice storm which blanketed our area last winter.  Granted, the ice was beautiful.  I shot a hundred stunning photos.  But as I was out in the icy stillness, great branches were breaking off the trees in the nearby forest, crashing to the ground.

The damage from the Ice Storm was immense, but the broken limbs on the ground are only half the story.  Countless limbs endured cracking and severe stress even if they didn’t fall to the ground.  The result is that many weak and dead limbs will be revealed as the trees leaf out (or fail to leaf out) this spring.  Watch your trees closely for slow leafing, or for no leafing at all.  Then determine whether to nurse or prune the damaged limbs.
Weak-wooded trees such as silver maples, elm trees, willows, and the older varieties of ornamental pears will be the trees with the most ongoing damage.  If replacement is needed, consider planting a slower growing, stronger, more long-term tree.

And if your trees look fine, and no evidence of damage persists, well then leaf them alone.  And enjoy their shade and beauty.

Propaganda: If you need help, here is what Paragon can do
A Paragon representative can help you determine if a tree is in trouble, and is in need of fertilization, insect control, or pruning.  Call today to be scheduled for a free assessment.

Trent D. Schrock
President