Winter Preparedness: Stress Management, Storm Risk & Utility Coordination

Winter storms bring unique risks to urban and community trees, from ice and snow loads to high winds and saturated soils. This course provides arborists with advanced strategies for protecting trees from environmental stress while also addressing risk management and utility coordination.

Topics include freeze–thaw injury, salt exposure, desiccation, snow and ice loads, storm-related failures, predictive risk assessment methods, and utility vegetation management (UVM) practices such as line clearance and right-of-way inspections. Emphasis will be placed on integrating tree biology, arboricultural practices, and risk/liability considerations into one comprehensive winter preparedness framework.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify environmental stress factors such as freeze–thaw injury, salt exposure, and desiccation.
• Apply predictive risk assessment methods to evaluate storm-related tree failures.
• Integrate utility vegetation management practices into storm preparation and response planning.
• Develop holistic strategies for winter preparedness that combine stress management and risk reduction.