READ: “How Does Weather Impact Our Trees?” (LEAF)
By Jess Wilkin (LEAF’s Residential Planting Programs Operations Supervisor)
Checking the weather forecast is a daily ritual for many of us. After all, weather impacts our physical and mental wellbeing. But weather also impacts other life forms including trees, which can be even more sensitive to its unstable nature. When the forecast calls for periods of undue weather, learn how to spot common stress symptoms in your tree so you can help protect it against potential threats before they become problematic.
Weather helps define the state of our atmosphere – think hot, cold, rainy, dry, etc. Like us, trees have their own preferred range of environmental conditions and when pushed outside their comfort zone by weather, they can become stressed. Frequent weather changes and prolonged periods of extreme weather (e.g., a heatwave) can create new or worsen existing stresses for a tree, as well as impact its ability to adapt to and resist potential threats (pests, diseases etc.). Here are some of the top stress-inducing weather events and how you can protect your tree against them.
