With the mild start to our winter, and the really warm temperatures over the last few weeks, we saw many species budding, leafing out, and even flowering already. Our trees entered into fall stressed from the heat and drought of summer. We are now watching trees expend energies on spring growth, and along comes the cold. Much of the new growth will probably die back, and cause the trees to regenerate the initial spring flush again. More energy is expended, further depleting the stored carbohydrates in the roots. This will be a tough year for trees already suffering. Keep an eye out for changes in your trees early in the season. The faster we can respond to health problems, the more likely we can save your trees.