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Winter Tree Care, Toronto, ON

Our winter tree care solutions in Toronto, ON can help you maintain your trees’ health all year.

Winter Tree CareDuring the harsh winter months, it can be difficult to tell if your trees are healthy or if they have issues that need to be addressed. Trees are pretty hearty and can stand up to a lot, but they are still susceptible to unwanted problems during the winter months. We’ve provided some potential problems and some winter tree care solutions so you can maintain your trees’ health all year.

Winter Drought

During the winter months, winter tree care can include assisting in water maintenance for trees when they cannot absorb enough from the frozen ground. Windy conditions also contribute to this issue. During late fall, before the onset of the winter cold, lay down mulch around the base of the tree to help slow moisture loss and water runoff, while also acting as a temperature buffer during seasonal changes.

Cold Stress

Cold stress provides two problems for winter tree care. The first is rapid changes in temperature from daytime to nighttime, causing stress to the outer bark, which can lead to cracking. The second issue is early frosts when trees may have new growth late in the season. Early frosts can kill the new branches that are forming because the new foliage doesn’t have time to prepare for the coming cold.

While there isn’t much that can be done about cracking in the winter months, you may be able to protect new trees by wrapping them in special weather blankets. Luckily, established trees have the ability to heal themselves over time, so this issue may not require as much attention unless you have planted young trees during the earlier warmer seasons. To help with early frost issues, make sure to prune trees after they are dormant in the fall. This will help avoid new growth from occurring before the sudden cold of winter.

Breaking Branches

Especially for deciduous trees, during the winter months, branches dry out and are more susceptible to breaking due to various things like harsh winds and ice and snow accumulation. Large trees that have branches that break can cause significant damage to other trees around them and to any close objects, such as your home or car. The best winter tree care tip for breaking branches is proper pruning in the fall season. Removing weak, damaged or dead branches will not only help to prevent limb loss during the winter, but also promote new foliage in the spring.

If you are in the Toronto, ON area and you need assistance preparing your trees for the winter season, our experts at Hudson Tree Services are available to assist you. We can provide solutions for many winter tree care problems. We look forward to hearing from you!


At Hudson Tree Services, we offer winter tree care services in Etobicoke, Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, BurlingtonHamilton, Ancaster, and Milton, Ontario.