Ice and Snow Damage - Plant Insect, Disease and Environmental Problem Information from PlantsGalore.Com

An accumulation of ice or snow on the limbs of trees and shrubs may cause them to bend so far that the surface of the bark is broken. Sometimes, of course, the entire branch breaks off under the strain. In these circumstances, the resulting wounds may be invaded by canker disease which will cause even more problems.

The damage is pretty clear cut when the branch or trunk snaps off into two or more pieces. More difficult to assess is the damage when the branches bend considerably under the added weight but do not actually break. In this case, the bark will form small splits and these may also be invaded by canker organisms even if the branch eventually returns to its normal position.


Animal Damage Bad Crotch Angle Bark Beetles Borer Insects Broken Limbs	Canker Disease Frost Crack Ice/Snow Damage Lightning Damage Limb Drop	Mechanical Damage Oozing Sap Sunscald


Animal Damage Bark Damage Black Needled Conifers Broken Limbs Cankers Crotch Angles Dieback Distorted Leaves Fall Needle Drop Failure to Flower	Frost Cracks Galls Honeydew Leaf Spots Lightning Strike Limb Drop Mechanical Damage Mushrooms Nutrient Deficiency Sap Oozing	Scorch Shelf Fungi Skeletonized Leaves Sunscold Transplant Shock Trees Falling Over Wilt Witche's Brooms Yellow Leaves

Note: We have provided some general information and observations on this topic aimed at the home gardener. Before you take any serious action in your landscape, check with your state's land grant university's Cooperative Extension Service for the most current, appropriate, localized recommendations.