What should you do about broken tree limbs after heavy snow?

Winter weather is a real tree risk here: FEMA rates it Very High for Washoe County and Relatively High for Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties. Heavy, wet snow loads crowns, and the damage often shows up the next morning. This guide covers what to look at and what to leave alone.

What does heavy snow do to trees?

Wet snow adds weight to branches faster than they can handle it, so limbs bend, split or break, and upright evergreens can splay open. Dense crowns hold more snow.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates winter weather risk for Washoe County as Very High, and for Carson City, Douglas and Lyon counties as Relatively High. Those are county-level ratings and not forecasts for your yard.

What should you not do?

Do not shake, beat or climb to knock snow or ice off. Penn State Extension notes that most horticulturists recommend leaving ice-covered branches alone, because knocking the ice off often causes more breakage.

Missouri Extension warns that there is a lot of energy stored in a bowed branch, so a small mistake with a saw can cause serious injury, and a hanging limb may not fall straight down.

• Do not cut or pull a bowed or hanging limb.
• Do not stand under a loaded crown.
• Do not use a ladder or climb.
• Do not try to lift a heavy limb off a roof or wire.
• Do not assume a limb is stable because it has not moved.

What can you safely do?

Keep people and cars out from under the damaged tree, and look from a distance. Penn State Extension suggests gently brushing light snow upward with a broom from the ground, standing clear of the branches, but we would stop at anything that looks heavy or stuck.

Take photos for your insurer and write down what is damaged.

1. Keep people and vehicles away from the damaged tree.
2. Check for wires. If a line is touched, stay back and call NV Energy.
3. Photograph the damage from a safe place.
4. Call a tree service for large, high or hanging limbs.
5. Clear small broken twigs from the ground only.

When can a damaged tree be saved?

After the broken limbs are cleared, a tree can be evaluated. Extension guidance generally says that when half or more of the branches are gone, replacement may be better, and an arborist can tell you for your tree.

Broken branches should be pruned back to the branch collar by someone trained. Do not top a damaged tree to fix its shape, as our topping guide explains.

Can snow damage be prevented?

Partly. Proper pruning builds structure, dead wood and weak unions can be addressed, and some trees can be supported with cables or braces. No tree is snow-proof.

Our guide on protecting trees from plows and snow load adds detail. Battle Born also does snow and ice removal.

What should you do about snow on the ground near the tree?

Keep plowed snow, salt and heavy piles away from trunks and roots where you can. Plow damage and salt spray add to winter stress.

Our guides on ice melt and your trees and plow and snow-load damage go further. Battle Born offers snow and ice removal in the winter months.