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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Harsh weather from last November has destroyed members of several tree varieties in the Treasure Valley in southwest Idaho.
The Idaho Statesman reports (http://bit.ly/1IfjiV9 ) that the director of field operations for Idaho Tree Preservation, Terri Ham, says the trees she has examined this spring at homes across the Valley have shown little growth.
"A majority of the canopy is dead or attempted to leaf out, then wilted or just appeared and never really grew properly," Ham said. "The tissue was actually damaged from exposure or temperature or something to do with the environmental factors of what we believe to have been around that Nov. 13 snowstorm."
According to the National Weather Service, the first two weeks of November saw highs in the upper 50s and 60s. By the third week, lows had suddenly dropped in the 10s and 20s.
The types of trees most affected by the severe weather include stone fruit trees, English walnut, willow, maple and hibiscus.
Matt Pruitt, arborist at Terry's Tree Service, has removed more than 100 trees this season.
"There are some customers where we work on their trees every year, and then they call us back this year and say, 'My cherry tree died. My English walnut died,'" Pruitt said. "Trees that were perfectly healthy last year were dead this year."
Ham said she hopes homeowners who have trees removed replace them with stronger varieties.
"We've been seeing more trees damaged from winter exposure than we used to in the last three years," she said.
Dale Dammarell, of Meridian, called a tree care company to inspect his lone flowering cherry tree that was having trouble. He removed another cherry tree in March.
"I'm definitely disappointed," Dammarell said. "These trees were great additions to our yard. They would make great, beautiful blooms every year."
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Information from: Idaho Statesman, http://www.idahostatesman.com
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