Winterizing our community trees

We encourage you to invest in the health of your own trees by following a few simple winterizing tips and to invest in the health of our community forest by donating to Tree Trust.

Our community forestry manager, Karen Zumach, prescribes this treatment for the trees we plant and maintain along the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority trail system (the Midtown Greenway and beyond) and suggests that you follow the same regimen in your own yard:

• Wrap thin-skinned trees like maple or basswood to protect them from sun scald, and put guards on delicious trees to protect them from rabbits and deer.
• Water evergreens until hard frost, and wrap newly planted evergreens with burlap if they’re planted at a windy, dry site to prevent winter burn.
• Rake leaves away from tree trunks to prevent festering. You’re probably raking anyway, right? 

Other important tips:

• When you’re raking your lawn and gathering sticks, please be aware that there is a quarantine on wood and waste from ash trees because of the emerald ash borer.
• Fall is a wonderful time for backyard bonfires and warm nights inside by the fireplace. Please take a look at the MDA’s Firewood Restrictions and Safe Handling Guidelines to make sure you’re doing your part to prevent the spread of emerald ash borer.

As you enjoy the fall colors and prepare your trees for winter, please consider making a donation to Tree Trust in honor or memory of a special person in your life. Such a donation to our Green Futures initiative will be matched dollar-for-dollar by our foundation partner, and we will send a note to the honoree and invite them (and you) to the planting event your donation helps make possible. You can help us plant 5,000 trees in the Twin Cities in the next five years!

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