Kick the Salt Habit: "Deicing" Can Damage Your Trees.
For Immediate Release
For Further Information Contact Sonia Garth:
(217) 355-9411 Ext 217
Kick the Salt Habit: "Deicing" Can Damage Your Trees
CHAMPAIGN, IL - Salt is great for clearing roads and sidewalks
of ice and snow in the winter. However, a good thing for streets and walkways can be downright rotten for
your trees, according to the tree experts at the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
"Excessive exposure to salt can cause widespread damage to your trees, leading to permanent
decline and sometimes death," said Jim Skiera, Executive Director of the ISA. "The problem with salt
damage is that it might not show up on your trees until summer, when deicing salt is the last culprit you would suspect."
To minimize the damage done to trees by deicing salts, Certified Arborists at ISA
offer the following tips:
1. Use less salt. Mix deicing salt with abrasives such as sand, cinders, and
ash, or use alternatives such as calcium magnesium acetate and calcium chloride.
2. Protect your trees from salt trucks on the street. If possible, set up
barriers between the street and your trees to keep salt spray from hitting tree trunks.
3. Plant salt-resistant trees. Trees such as the sycamore maple, white spruce,
willow, and birch tend to be more salt-resistant than other species. How well they fare varies from climate to climate across the country.
4. Improve soil drainage. Add organic matter to your soil to help filter
salt deposits.
You can also keep your trees healthy by taking care of their basic needs. Other
tips that will help combat damage that deicing salt may otherwise do:
Irrigate to flush the salts from the soils in spring
Mulch sufficiently to reduce water loss.
Control pest infestations and destructive tree diseases.
If in doubt, contact a local ISA Certified Arborist in your area.
The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is a nonprofit organization
supporting tree care research around the world. Headquartered in Champaign, IL, ISA is dedicated
to the care and preservation of shade and ornamental trees. For more information, contact a
local ISA Certified Arborist or visit
www.treesaregood.com.