Winter weather helping local trees thrive better than last year

This winter has been nearly perfect conditions for the trees around, as they remain dormant waiting for spring.

The native and exotic species at the Arboretum in Guelph are looking healthy so far, according to the Manager Alison Morrison. She says fluctuations in temperatures during winter months often confuse the trees, making them sprout too soon.

All the snow the region and Guelph have been getting is a good thing though, as the snow keeps them from having a dry spring.

“Going from bud to leaf takes a lot of water and having the snow that is going to ideally melt slowly and percolate into the soil and not run off too much is an excellent resource for trees,” said Morrison.

“We haven’t had any big windstorms, or ice storms, it’s only early February and a lot of our ice storms come at the end of our season — fingers crossed.”

Last winter was a tough one for the trees. Morrison said they didn’t get enough of an accumulation of snow.

“We didn’t have that bank of water for the trees when spring hit.”

It’s hard to predict what spring will be like for the trees but Morrison says if the temperature stays stable, there should be plenty of fresh blossoms.