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Thread: Frost Damage

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Killington, Vt.
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    58

    Default Frost Damage

    About three weeks ago, we had a real hard frost here that really damaged the young leaves on all the trees. This only happened at 1800 feet elevation and above. The trees lower down in elevation have recovered well.
    Latest observations show that many of the leaves have fallen off completely, or, for the ones remaining on the tree, are at half leaf at best.
    Question is, Will these trees recover enough for next season? Or possibly sprout new leaves?
    I can't believe that this would kill the trees, but feel that it must stress them
    in some way.
    Would appreciate everyone's thoughts on this....
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    New Lisbon New York
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    905

    Default

    Hear in Central NY we can see the same damage from the heavy frost we had around the same time. I was speaking with a DEC officer yesterday and he said it has done good and bad. The good is that the the Forest Tent Catapilers have been severly compromised, the bad is what you are seeing Killington Maple. It looks like the Oak and Beach have take the brunt of the damage. I am no expert but after watching the damage the Forest Tent Catapilers did to my woods last summer I think that most trees will recover. They will grow back leaves, smaller, but leaves just the same.
    Brian Ryther
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Simcoe Co. Ontario
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    49

    Angry More frost damage

    I see quite a few big maples that are quite brown right now and recall we had a hard frost well after the leaf out stage and expect this is the result of that frost. I am up in central Ontario and don't recall ever seeing this much before and think we are paying for the early spring now.

    I am also wondering what effect the loss of the leaves will have on next years production since they are the little engines that produce our crop??

    I think it may affect both the amount of sap as well as the sugar content, but.....

    Has anyone read anything on this or experienced it before?
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
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    11,544

    Default

    So far I guess I'm lucky. I see no frost damage however, FT caterpillars are here. They have not done too much damage yet. I hope their life cycle ends that soon and the trees can get to the business of making sugar. I see a few leaf skelitans but not many.
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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Campton, NH
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    733

    Default

    I walked around in the sugar bush this afternoon after the rain stopped and I found some small maple leaves on the ground in parts of the bush. Looking up into the tree tops I couldn't see that many leaves were lost, so I wouldn't think it should hurt the trees any. I would have thought the leaves would have been brown from the die back but the ones on the ground were green. Maybe some loss of sugar content next spring because the total leaf area of the tree will be smaller? Just wondering.
    1,200 taps on USFS land, 3x8 King w/Steamaway. Lapierre RO.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
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    Altmar, NY
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    Default

    Homestead I have the same deal here going. What i took notice to today is I picked up some of those green leaves that are falling (not enough to be of concern yet) and noticed that the stems have been chewed on and my thoughts are what little tentworms or other critters are left are the cause. The frost damage really only effected the oaks here and the black walnut but other than that the maples look good. Go out tomarrow and pick some of those leaves up and take a peek at the stems Im betting you will see some teeth marks on the stems.
    2X6 deluxe Phanuef
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  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, Underhill Ctr, VT
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    6,390

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Killington Maple View Post
    Question is, Will these trees recover enough for next season? Or possibly sprout new leaves? I can't believe that this would kill the trees, but feel that it must stress them
    in some way.
    Assuming there are no other major stress factors this summer (drought, insect defoliation, etc.), then the trees should refoliate and be OK. Might be somewhat less sugar in the sap next season, and maybe somewhat reduced basal area (ring-width) growth, but you'll probably not even notice it.

    Generally tree mortality only occurs when you have some combination of interacting stresses that occur repeatedly or over an extended time period.

    We had substantial frost damage here in Underhill too. Trees have already mostly refoliated.
    Dr. Tim Perkins
    UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Franklin County NY
    Posts
    83

    Default UPSTATE ny

    we had extensive damage here in Bangor NY...many trees lost 80% of leaves, the remaining leaves must be repowering the refoliage, but I havent seen new leaves yet. IM spending a lot of time thinning and i find a lot more sunlight hitting the forest floor right now.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Campton, NH
    Posts
    733

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 3rdgen.maple View Post
    Homestead I have the same deal here going. What i took notice to today is I picked up some of those green leaves that are falling (not enough to be of concern yet) and noticed that the stems have been chewed on and my thoughts are what little tentworms or other critters are left are the cause. The frost damage really only effected the oaks here and the black walnut but other than that the maples look good. Go out tomarrow and pick some of those leaves up and take a peek at the stems Im betting you will see some teeth marks on the stems.
    I was talking with another sugar maker in the area today and he reminded me that we had a stong wind the other day and he said that his trees lost some small leaves during that time. I was away a few days so that's probably what I'm seeing on the ground right now. Anything that is brown is still in the tree tops so the trees must be hanging on to those yet and may not drop them. Thankfully I don't have many that got affected, just don't want the trees to be stressed.
    1,200 taps on USFS land, 3x8 King w/Steamaway. Lapierre RO.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Skowhegan, Maine
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    1,299

    Default

    We noticed it around here too. Some of the leaves on trees we planted last year were killed by the frost. I have noticed that they are popping new leaves now.
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