Beth Wilson
River birch bending in the ice storm of 2009 (photo from http://www.wlky.com/weather/2009-ice-storm-anniversary/24145746)
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We've reached that part of winter where we have a pretty decent chance of a snow/ice event in Pulaski Co. We always learn from these events, we even learn about trees. Let's go over some ways to help trees get through a snow/ice event.
Don't shake ice and snow off the branches. When tree or shrub branches bend over, resist the urge to go out and knock the ice or snow off. Woody plants can tolerate a certain amount of bending. Mother Nature seems to do a fair job of restoring the form for most trees suffering this type of stress.