TREES CONTINUE TO NEED CARE DURING HARSH WINTER MONTHS

JEFFERSON CITY -- Once the last leaves are raked and the ground freezes, most landowners put their feet up and don't give another thought to the trees on their property. That's a mistake, according to the Missouri Forestkeepers Network.

Forestkeepers coordinator Sue Burks says even those who don't belong to the statewide forest monitoring network can use winter to good advantage, ensuring the continued benefits of trees wherever they live.

"There are some things you just can't do in warm weather," says Burks. "This is a good time to look for canker diseases and other damage to tree trunks that are hidden by leaves the rest of the year. Now is the best time to identify trees that pose a hazard and take care of those problems." She says knowing which trees have serious health problems makes it easier to decide which ones should be removed where crowding is hurting the health and growth of all the trees.

"Besides being easier to see in the winter, it's also a lot more pleasant to do forest management work on a sunny winter day than in the stifling heat of summer, when you've got spider webs in your face and have to deal with ticks and mosquitoes," says Burks. Projects that can be undertaken in the winter include pruning to improve trees' shape and strength or their value for lumber.

Another important winter job is mulching seedlings. Shredded bark or other organic mulch provides insulation that prevents frost heaving. It also guards against drought damage by preventing the soil around seedlings' roots from drying out during extended dry periods.

"It's easy to forget that trees continue to need water, even in the winter," says Burks. "Snow cover provides protection from drying, but super-cold temperatures with high winds can suck the moisture right out of the soil. Drought can be just as hard on trees in the winter as in the summer."

To guard against drying, she suggests slow soaking with a perforated irrigation hose. Trickling water from a regular hose works, too, if the hose is moved around to different spots beneath the trees being watered.

Burks says winter is a poor time to fertilize trees. The upper layer of soil usually is frozen, so fertilizer simply runs off with rainfall. She says it is best to apply a slow-release, granular fertilizer in October, before the ground freezes, or wait until after the soil has thawed-usually in March.

Choose a fertilizer that is balanced (containing an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) or one with less nitrogen than other ingredients. High-nitrogen fertilizers stimulate weak, succulent growth that invites insect damage and disease.

Finally, Burks says winter is a good time to wrap the trunks of thin-barked trees. Warm, sunny days can cause the sap to rise in medium-sized trees of these species, leaving them vulnerable to freezing when the temperature falls at night. Cold-damaged bark diminishes trees' vigor and leaves them open to infections and pests.