WILL THE SNOW ON MY TREES HARM THEM?

• Position: YOUR LIFE

We all enjoy the appearance of freshly fallen snow on our landscape trees, however, "snow is both friend and foe to trees and shrubs," says Tchukki Andersen, staff arborist with the Tree Care Industry Association, Londonderry, N.H. "Snow loads can be very damaging, as we all know but, in many cases, snow also protects plants and their roots from extreme fluctuations in temperature that could damage or even kill them."

Excess snow can damage trees and woody shrubs by bending, breaking, and splitting them or causing them to fall or uproot. Whether woody plants will be damaged in one of these ways depends upon several factors.

Coniferous evergreens, for instance, can bear more snow weight than broadleaf evergreens. A tree's form also can determine how well it will withstand heavy snow. For example, pine (low altitude), spruce, and fir trees with spreading branches are more likely to be damaged by heavy snowfall than trees with more steeply angled branches.

Arborvitae--evergreen shrubs with tall, narrow growth habits planted in hedges or as foundation screens--are good examples of plants that do not handle heavy snow well. They tend to grow tall, with multi-stemmed branches that separate under the weight of snow. Too often, they do not return to their upright form after the snow melts, and become permanently disfigured.

'Try to avoid planting arborvitae species in areas that get lots of heavy, wet snow," Andersen advises. "Also, make sure not to plant them near buildings where snow accumulates on the roof, then falls in large...