Arborist Explains Why Your Trees are Late Bloomers This Year

Finally, more trees are in bloom. March threatened to leave many bare branches on twigs on trees.

Michael Barnett, an arborist for the City of Sandy Springs, said some trees were probably about to come out of dormancy weeks ago, but then the cold snap hit. “When it got warm again, some did come out, but others were tightly in bud,” he explained. “And some trees naturally leaf out longer than others.”

Barnett also echoed what tree experts say about falling trees. “We’ve had so many years of drought weather that caused damage to the critical root zone of trees. That coupled with…monsoon rains for so long, it loosened the soil.”

Dead roots, prevented trees from being able to support themselves, he added. Typically, trees that fall are standing apart from other trees that might help support them, he said, and are exposed to severe winds.