It sure has been a wonderful winter for skiing and snowshoeing! The winter so far has been marked by significant cold events. In January 2025, a severe cold wave affected much of North America, including Ontario, bringing temperatures significantly below average. Additionally, multiple winter storms have impacted the region, leading to substantial snowfall and challenging conditions. The ample snow cover is lovely insulation for perennials and the root systems of trees and shrubs. Climate trends impact the plants, insects and other animals living in the environment. In this article, we will explain how our weather impacts your beautiful trees and how you can help support them this spring.
Consistently cold and freezing temperatures are good for trees; they signal the tree to stay dormant. Evergreens are vulnerable to milder conditions in winter. Plants make food through photosynthesis (opening their leaf pores to capture atmospheric CO2 and using light energy to convert CO2 and water to sugar). Because evergreens retain their foliage all year round, mild, sunny afternoon conditions in late winter can sometimes signal the opening of their leaf pores. Instead of a boost in sugar production, the low light levels in winter are inadequate to provide enough light energy, and the leaves lose large stores of water during the process.
Foliar water loss causes the evergreen leaves to dry out and turn brown, especially on the southwest side of the tree. In horticulture, we refer to this type of injury as “winter desiccation”. This type of physiological injury is easy to find on young evergreen trees and evergreen groundcovers that have afternoon sun exposure in the landscape. Thankfully, it is just the leaves that are killed. Stems and buds for this year’s growth remain alive and will eventually grow out, filling in the areas where evergreen foliage has been killed. In high-visual locations, desiccated twigs can be pruned out, leaving more desirable foliage and space for nearby twigs to grow into.
Believe it or not, deciduous trees like maples and birches can sense the coming of spring through their buds. Tightly capped buds sense the increasing light intensity through cells called “photoreceptors”. These light-sensitive cells then send a hormone signal to roots, stems and branches to “wake up”. The signal causes the conversion of carbon stores from last year’s growing season to be liberated in the form of sugars. The liberated sugars in the root system cause roots to easily draw water in from the soil. Sugars dissolve into the water, forming large columns of sap that rise to feed the buds that will become this season’s shoots and leaves. This is the sap that will be harvested to make delicious maple syrup.
This upward flow of sap continues for a few weeks until leaves emerge and start making their own sugars, sending them back down to the root system in reciprocity. Pruning maple trees in early spring will often result in noticeable sap drippings below each cut. Although the sap looks unsightly, it does not negatively impact tree health.
It’s a good idea to inspect your trees to see how they faired from the winter storms. Many species of trees experience periodic branch dieback and freeze damage from rapid temperature drops, especially Norway maples (Acer platanoides). Early spring is the perfect time to take a look up into the canopy for dead branches, deadwood that is hung up and any other hazards to the users of the property.
Frost damage occurs when tender new foliage emerges and we experience sub zero temperatures (a.k.a. frost) before it has a chance to harden off with the development of a thick, waxy cuticle. The tender green shoots and leaves have a very high water content and are very soft, making them especially vulnerable to frost.
As a property owner, you can prevent frost damage by watching the weather forecast and covering any tender foliage with plastic tarps or cloth in the evening. For larger trees, you can help reduce frost damage to newly emerged leaves by sprinkling the leaves with water at dusk, before the temperatures drop below freezing. As the temperatures drop below 0C, the water on the surface of the new leaves will start to freeze. As the water changes from a liquid to a solid, the state change liberates heat, forming a layer of thermal protection against the tender leaves.
Every spring, our Beautiful Trees Inc. arborists and horticulturalists plant trees and shrubs for our clients. As always, we are happy to plant large caliper wire basket trees for your landscaping needs. Large trees provide instant impact, but did you know that smaller caliper trees establish more quickly and experience less transplant shock? Studies have shown that in many cases, smaller trees out-grow larger planted trees within 5 to 7 years of planting. Smaller caliper trees are much easier to transport, plant and maintain. They also have a smaller price, which means you can plant more of them!
At Beautiful Trees Inc., we partner with tree nurseries to provide our customers with bareroot trees in April. Bareroot trees are smaller, younger trees that are dug in the fall and stored dormant in environment-controlled barns in the winter for easy early-spring access, usually beginning April 1st. If you have a larger planting project and desire good-sized trees that are bigger than seedlings but smaller than large wire basket trees, bareroot trees can be a good fit.
In her latest best-selling book, Our Green Heart, earth scientist and way-shower Diana Beresford-Kroeger says that in order to bring the climate back into balance, more trees are needed. Trees are still the best way to reduce carbon dioxide levels and we in southern Ontario have lots of land to plant more of them. Beresford-Kroeger says that if each earth citizen plants one tree per year, for the next six years, and maintains those trees, we can influence great positive climate change in the right direction! She calls the strategy the “Bioplan” and estimates that this would amount to nearly 50 billion trees at the end of the six years.
For many of us, bareroot trees are a beautiful, simple way to contribute to our communities and our green earth. Contact us for pricing. Bareroot trees usually sell out fast, and trees must be planted by early May. Please note that minimum orders do apply.
One of the best things you can do to help your trees is to give them the nutrients they need to help accelerate their recovery and their ability to replace lost resources. Our custom formulation of slow-release fertilizer is suspended in a liquid solution and injected below the surface of the soil, directly into the root zone, where it can be absorbed by actively growing roots. Surface-applied fertilizers can lead to runoff and lost nutrients in the environment. Our custom formulated Deep Root Fertilizer is specially formulated for our customer’s trees and shrubs based on soil and foliar testing lab results from your soils and plants. At Beautiful Trees, our fertilizer is blended with required nutrients and low levels of phosphorus to keep your plants healthy while reducing negative impacts on our environment. We’ve even added extra minerals that are known to be deficient in southern Ontario soils.
We also offer deep-root compost tea and organic plant health sprays to help boost the soil microbiome, which will in turn support the trees since they trade carbohydrates and mineral resources back and forth in a form of reciprocity. Did you know that trees feed soil microbes through their roots? Yes, its true! Approximately 40% of the carbon trees make through photosynthesis is pushed out into the soil to feel fungi and bacteria. Many fungi will partner with the tree roots, forming an extensive adventitious root system that brings additional water and mineral nutrients back to the tree in exchange for the trees carbohydrates. By supporting the microbiome, the trees have access to more resources, making them more vigorous and more resilient to extreme weather conditions that are becoming more common in this time of climate change.
Spring is also a time of new beginnings for the many animals that share our natural world. If you are thinking of removing a tree, it is advisable to first carry out a breeding bird survey to determine if any birds are using the plant to raise their young. Acquiring a breeding bird survey by a Qualified Biologist will make sure the proper protocol is followed, ensuring your project gets started quickly and Ontario’s native migratory birds remain safe. Breeding Bird Surveys are required from April 1st to August 31st in much of southern Ontario. Our qualified biologists can perform time-sensitive bird surveys to help protect breeding birds for your project.
At Beautiful trees Inc., our experienced Arborists are here to help you with all of your tree and shrub care needs. We also provide tree permits, arborist reports, tree protection plans, tree inventories and more to help support your landscape and development projects.
From all of us at Beautiful Trees Inc., we wish you a wonderful spring with all of the joys that this season has to offer.
Contact Us Today for Quality, Professional, and Experienced Tree care. Where you and your green space are our number one priority.
As Ontario’s autumn leaves complete their dramatic descent, we’re left with a gorgeous, crunchy carpet that’s somehow both beautiful and… a bit of a headache. When your yard starts looking like a leaf hoarder’s paradise, it’s time for action! Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or looking to hire us to help you this year, leaf management is worth the effort, and here are some reasons why.
Did you know that the sudden appearance of brown foliage on evergreen trees and shrubs that we see in March and April is often a result of winter desiccation? Every spring we get calls from property owners wondering why their cedars, spruces, yews, junipers and boxwoods are suddenly showing signs of browning foliage in March and April. Here is a brief explanation of the problem, and some practical ways to prevent your evergreens from desiccating this winter.
Have you been noticing large spots on your Norway maple leaves this summer and are concerned that they could be a serious issue? Here’s an easy-to-understand review of what the culprit is, and what it means for your beautiful trees.
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Bolton, ON
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Beautiful Trees Inc.
Main Office (Johl Anderson)
206 Hickman St
Bolton, Ontario L7E 2P4
(416) 738 – 4137
Gravenhurst Yard (Johl Anderson)
555 Bishop St
Gravenhurst, Ontario P1P 1M4
Thornton Yard (Jon Fry)
5089 20th Sideroad
Thornton, Ontario L0L 2N0
Vandorf Yard (Chris Ward)
2375 Vandorf Rd
Stouffville, Ontario L4A 2J7
