Early Spring Tree Inspection: What to Look For After Winter

Calgary winters are hard on trees. Between the sustained cold, heavy snow loads, drying Chinook winds, and the freeze-thaw cycles that crack bark and heave roots, your trees go through a lot between November and March. An early spring inspection is one of the smartest things you can do as a homeowner. It takes 15 to 20 minutes per tree, costs nothing, and can catch problems before they become expensive or dangerous.

Here is a systematic approach to checking your trees once the worst of winter is behind you.

Start From the Ground Up

The Root Zone

Walk a circle around the base of each tree and look for these signs:

• Heaving soil: Freeze-thaw cycles can push roots upward, especially in younger trees. If you see exposed roots that were buried in the fall, or if the tree seems to be sitting higher in the ground, the root system may have shifted.
• Cracks in the soil: Semicircular cracks around the base can indicate the root plate is lifting on one side, which is a precursor to the tree leaning or failing.
• Fungal growth: Mushrooms or bracket fungi at the base of the tree suggest root decay. While some fungi are harmless decomposers of surface debris, fruiting bodies growing directly from the trunk or major roots warrant an arborist assessment.
• Rodent damage: Mice and voles gnaw on bark under the snow line during winter. Check the lower trunk and root flare for chewing damage. If the damage goes all the way around the trunk (girdling), the tree may not survive.

The Trunk

Stand back and look at the full length of the trunk:

• Frost cracks: These are vertical splits in the bark, often on the south or southwest side of the tree where sun exposure causes the bark to warm rapidly on winter afternoons, then freeze again at night. Frost cracks often close up in summer but can reopen each winter, creating entry points for decay.
• Sunscald: Similar to frost cracking, sunscald appears as patches of dead, flaking bark on the sun-exposed side of the trunk. It is especially common on thin-barked species like maple, mountain ash, and young fruit trees.
• New cracks or splits: Any cracking you do not remember from last year needs attention. Fresh cracks in the trunk can indicate structural failure in progress.
• Bark peeling or falling off: Some peeling is normal on species like birch and aspen. On spruce, ash, or elm, significant bark loss is a concern.

Look Up: The Canopy

Broken Branches

This is the most common winter damage in Calgary. Heavy wet snow, especially the spring storms we get in March and April, snaps branches. Look for:

• Branches hanging but not fully detached (hangers or widow-makers). These are dangerous and should be removed promptly.
• Broken stubs where branches snapped off during storms. These need to be properly pruned back to the branch collar to heal correctly.
• Large branches on the ground that you did not notice during winter.

Dead Branches

Without leaves, it is easy to identify dead branches on deciduous trees. They are often a slightly different colour, have no buds, and the bark may be shrivelled or falling off. On spruce trees, dead branches are brown or bare with no needles. A few dead lower branches on a mature spruce is normal. Dead branches scattered throughout the canopy is not.

Snow and Ice Damage to Evergreens

Heavy snow can splay open the branches of columnar evergreens like junipers and cedars, ruining their shape. It can also bend branches on spruce trees permanently downward. Check if any branches have been pushed out of position and may need corrective pruning or support.

Check for Signs of Disease

Early spring is a good time to spot certain diseases before they become established for the season:

• Black knot: Hard, black, swollen growths on the branches of chokecherry, Mayday, and Schubert cherry trees. These are visible year-round but easiest to spot in late winter without leaves. Infected branches should be pruned out before the fungus releases spores in spring.
• Cytospora canker: Look for patches of white, crusty sap on spruce bark. The affected branches often show needle browning and dieback. This is one of the most common spruce diseases in Calgary.
• Fire blight holdover cankers: On apple, crabapple, and mountain ash, look for darkened, slightly sunken patches of bark on branches. These are cankers from last year's infection that will produce bacteria again in spring.

Structural Issues to Watch For

Without the distraction of foliage, late winter is the clearest time to assess the structural integrity of your trees:

• Co-dominant stems: Two main trunks growing in a tight V shape with bark wedged between them. This is a weak attachment prone to splitting, especially under snow or wind load.
• Heavy lean: Has the tree shifted since last year? Compare against photos or your memory.
• Crown dieback: Dead tips scattered through the upper canopy can indicate root problems, drought stress, or disease.

What to Do With What You Find

For minor issues like a few broken branches or some rodent gnawing, you can often handle the situation yourself or simply note it for monitoring. For anything structural, like trunk cracks, major broken limbs, root zone disruption, or significant lean, bring in a certified arborist. The cost of an assessment is minimal compared to the cost of a tree failure.

Think of your spring tree inspection the way you think of checking your roof after a hail storm. You are not looking for perfection; you are looking for damage that needs attention before it gets worse. Twenty minutes now can save you thousands later.