By Bob Hale

Every fall in the Upper Valley there’s a day when the first wet, heavy snow comes down while a lot of trees are still holding leaves. By the next morning you can drive through Rexburg, Rigby or St. Anthony and see the results: limbs across driveways, branches resting on roofs, a car with a broken windshield, a service line sagging toward the ground.

Leaves are the problem. A bare branch lets snow sift through it. A branch still in leaf catches it, and wet early-season snow is heavy. Most of the trees that break that day had a weak spot you could have seen from the yard, so here’s a ten-minute walk-around worth doing now.

Know which trees break first

Some common Upper Valley trees are simply more brittle than others. Silver maple, Siberian elm, and older cottonwoods and willows grow fast, and fast growth tends to mean weaker wood and weaker branch unions. They’re also the trees that tend to hang onto their leaves into the first storms. If you have one of these near the house, the driveway or a line, give it a closer look.

What to look for from the ground

You don’t need a ladder for this. Walk around each larger tree and look up:

– Split or tight V-shaped forks. Where two big stems grow up side by side with a narrow crotch between them, the union is often weak. A crack running down from that fork is a red flag.
– Dead limbs. They’re easy to spot right now: dry, bare branches without the leaves the rest of the tree is still carrying. Dead wood snaps under far less weight than live wood.
– Branches over the roof, the driveway or where you park. Even a healthy limb can come down under a heavy load. Ask yourself what it would hit.
– The line running from the pole to your house. Branches touching or resting on it are worth noting before snow adds weight.
– Hangers. Limbs already broken from a summer windstorm and caught in the canopy will come down eventually, and snow often decides when.

Don’t forget water

It sounds backwards, but a dry fall is hard on trees heading into winter, especially once sprinkler systems are blown out. A tree that goes into winter thirsty is more likely to show dieback in the spring. On a mild day when the ground isn’t frozen, a slow, deep soak around the drip line of younger trees and evergreens helps. Water early in the day so it soaks in before nighttime freezes, and disconnect the hose afterward.

What you can handle yourself

Late fall and winter, once leaves are down, is a good time for light pruning because you can see the tree’s structure. Small dead branches you can reach from the ground with a hand saw or pole pruner are fair game. Make cuts just outside the branch collar, the slightly swollen ring where a branch meets the trunk, rather than flush against the trunk, and don’t leave long stubs.

When to call someone

Leave it to a professional when:

– The branch is large, high, or would have to be cut from a ladder.
– The limb is over the house, a vehicle, or anything you can’t move.
– A crack runs into the main trunk or a big fork.
– Anything is touching or near a power line. Never prune near lines yourself; call your power company, which handles clearance around its lines.

For bigger structural questions, an ISA-certified arborist can tell you whether a tree can be saved with pruning or cabling or whether it’s time to plan for removal.

Ten minutes this week can save a roof repair, an insurance claim or a cold night without power after the first big storm. Grab a coffee, walk the yard, and look up.

Bob Hale writes homeowner tree-care guides for Idaho Falls Tree Pros.