When it comes to the care and protection of trees during the winter, some homeowners naturally stress. The Utah winter brings significant snow, ice and cold concerns, and we all naturally want our trees protected from these.

At Reliable Tree Care, we’re here to let you in on a little secret about trees that we’ve learned from years of tree shaping, trimming and other tree services: They’re stronger and more capable of protecting themselves here than you might think. And while we’re not telling you to completely avoid winter tree care – certain pruning and removal areas can still be very important – there are areas where you might actually be risking your safety for no good reason. Let’s go over a couple of these, plus why you should always count on a certified arborist for winter tree care services.

Snow Removal

Trust us, we understand how stressful it can be to watch snow build up on your tree branches. Branches may droop down and appear highly vulnerable, particularly after a heavy snowfall like those we’ve experienced several times this winter.

There’s a natural temptation to go out and shake tree branches to remove some of this snow, but we don’t recommend this. You’re actually likely to cause more damage than you prevent here. Trees have millions of years of experience surviving through storms without human intervention of any kind, and they’re much more resilient than many people think. Even if you notice the occasional limb that’s suffered damage or has fallen, this is part of the natural cycle.

Ice Buildup and Risks

Another concern is ice, which may build up on limbs and lead to similar effects as snow. And while it’s important to make sure too many branches of the tree don’t break, you can run into significant risks if you attempt to remove this ice.

For one, you should absolutely never attempt to climb a tree with ice or snow present for any reason. You can check from ground level and note damaged limbs, but you should never try to get up there. And just like with snow removal, you could actually cause more damage than you prevent if you attempt to regularly rid your trees of ice.

Professional Arborist Assistance

Now, all of the above isn’t meant to suggest that snow or ice buildups on trees are meaningless. If you’re concerned about their degree or damage they’ve caused on your trees, however, you should be contacting our experienced arborists to inspect them for you. We can tell you whether the damage they’ve sustained is ordinary or something unusual that requires action, plus we can help remove branches that might be putting the rest of the tree at risk.

For more on winter tree care, or to learn about any of our tree services, speak to the staff at Reliable Tree Care today.