This WAS a beautiful, specimen Japanese maple.....I think we are going
to see alot of ornamental tree and shrub damage from the heavy snow.

A weak tree....! Silver maple is a great fast growing tree, but not
the strongest. It's a good idea to cut out very heavy limbs, a bit
more drastic pruning than some other maples

I find it fun to identify trees in the winter, without leaves...!
It's amazing how quickly you can do this once you start. Notice the
branches growing downward at the base and then they start to "fan"
upward until they are vertical on this tree. Yeup, it's a Pin Oak!

Oh No....!

This poor rhododendron !!! This was a tough call though.....removing the ice accumulation before the limb broke could have just as easily caused damage. Oh well, nothing a little "restoration" pruning in the Spring won't fix !

So much ice this year...! I can't wait for Spring !

As beautiful as the icicles can be...... the weight of them can injure shrubs. If you decide to break them off be careful not to damage the leaves/branches. It is better to knock just enough off to eliminate some weight. The rest will melt eventually !

Winter is a fun time to spot things such as a squirrel nest full of
leaves and shredded bark or even these Parrot nests (New Haven)

Poor Arborvitae..!!! Wait this can be avoided or at least
repaired.......
Just tie a cord around the leaders, hiding it inside the foliage. The
best "cord" I have found is a flat "Arbor-tie". This tends to not
girdle the limbs as, say clothsline would over time.