Signs of Freeze Damage to Trees in Colorado Springs

Especially in Colorado Springs, trees are an essential element to a landscape investment. As we all know, Colorado is famous for its bipolar, extreme high and low temperature weather. Due to those the dramatic temperatures, specifically during our winters, it’s important to know how to prevent, recognize, and treat damage to your trees caused by freezing weather. Bella Giardino Landscape and Garden Design put together this simple guide to illustrate everything you need to know about freeze damage signs to your trees.

Unfortunately, sometimes, no matter what preventative measures you take, a severe Colorado winter weather event can kill your trees suddenly without warning. These unpredictable days can also take several years to show irreversible signs of damage to your landscape’s beautiful trees as well. This doesn’t mean you should never invest in trees to enhance your luxury landscape; it simply means you should take preventative measures to keep your trees stress-free. Below is a list of tree stress factors and signs to watch out for to give your trees a fighting chance:

• Winter burn: Dead patches in your pine and spruce trees, especially on their north-facing sides, show previous freeze damage as well.
• Frost cracks: When the outer layer of wood contracts faster than the inner layers, it causes a crack in the trunk. Once you notice a large crack in your tree trunks, you know you have severe freeze damage.

• Extreme dryness: Obvious dryness with dead leaves or branches within your trees is another sign of damage from temperature extremes.
• Drought-stress: Signs of drought-stress include heat scorch, decline, and dieback of trees.
• Bug problems and disease: If you notice disease or bugs on your trees due to preventative pruning care, it is important that you act fast and involve a tree care professional ASAP.
• Bleached needles: When evergreen needles quickly turn from their normal green color to a light bleached yellow, this is a clear sign of freeze damage.
• Blackened leaves: When trees start growing leaves before an unexpected late freeze, their leaves may turn black or brown and fall off, which is another obvious sign.
• Wind damage: Severe branch breakage or bark stripping due to high winds is an alternative, yet still important symptom, you should watch for too.
• Stress to young trees: Younger trees are more at risk for stress because they have smaller branches that become more prone to breakage. They also have a less complex root system and have very specific water requirements, so be sure to treat younger trees with extra love.

With our recent crazy Colorado winter weather coming in and out of the forecast, it’s important for you to know what to look for when it comes to the health of your landscape’s trees. These negative degree cold temperatures, freeing wind chill and flurries of snow are all going to negatively affect the growth of your pretty pines or evergreens. Take all this information and make sure to monitor your back or front yard for the next couple months until we can truly get our beautiful Colorado sunny spring weather back. Don’t give up on Colorado Tree Landscaping!

If you have any questions or would like some high-end landscaping advice, feel free to give our luxury landscaping experts here at Bella Giardino Landscape & Garden Design a call today. They’d be ecstatic to help you out!