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Be a Snow Collector This Winter

By Amber Murray

Compared to some places, Lethbridge doesn’t receive a lot of snow, but when we do, there is an expectation for residents to remove it from sidewalks and driveways. Snow removal is fundamentally about safety and mobility for citizens, but there is a great reason to KEEP your snow on your property for as long as possible: it protects your trees and shrubs. Taking the snow from your paved areas and moving it to your gardens, shrubs, and trees not only is a form of water harvest, but it is also a way to keep the soil from experiencing spring-like melt during regular chinooks.

During the winter of 2024, Lethbridge experienced a long, January cold snap with temperatures plummeting below -40C and wind chills to nearly -50C. Pipes froze, there were several electrical grid alerts, and later in the spring, it was clear that local trees and shrubs had also been terribly affected. Funnily enough, however, the species that saw the greatest damage were hardy varieties: junipers, crabapples, and the Amur hybrids of cherry and maple. These are all Zone 2 plants, which are hardy to Lethbridge and should overwinter easily. So, what happened? Not only did the temperature crash in early 2024, but it was also shockingly elevated in late 2023, with little to no precipitation. Many trees, particularly hardy northern varieties, still had leaves, and many of them perished after being frozen to death in January.

There are many tree professionals that feel the hardy varieties were vulnerable to this weather because they simply hadn’t completed dormancy due to warm, late-autumn temperatures. Adding to this was a lack of snow load when the polar vortex encompassed Alberta and the frigid windchill reached -50C. This was an unusual occurrence, but one that is expected to happen more frequently as the climate crisis alters our weather patterns. 

One way to assist the longevity of perennial plants and trees is to harvest snow and pile it on gardens and around the drip lines of trees, rather than pushing it to the streets to be carried away by plows and in storm drains during a melt event. Snow is, on average, ten percent water by volume and can also act as a buffer to temperature fluctuations in the soil. Repeated piling, particularly on young, unestablished trees and shrubs, will cause compaction of the snow, increase ice formation, and form an insulative pillow that will keep soil temperatures cool and the tree dormant during chinooks. Be careful when piling snow on smaller trees and shrubs so as not to break branches and avoid snow that has salt or ice melt mixed in as that may damage your plants.

A great winter tool for assisting in collecting snow from larger surfaces, rather than removing it, is a sleigh shovel. They are inexpensive, have an ergonomic handle, slide easily, and simply need to be tipped up to dump. They are as wide as half a regular sidewalk width, so they can clear snow quickly and effectively. They come equipped with a steel strip on the blade, and if they are stored out of the sun they can last for years and years. Piling collected snow at the base of trees, particularly on either the high side of a slope or on the southern side of a tree/garden will assist in keeping the snow on the ground for as long as possible. Snow blowers can direct snow to general areas but lose much moisture to evaporation. Leaf blowers are basically useless for harvesting/collecting snowfall.

As Lethbridge is in an arid part of Alberta, concerned citizens can consider snow as a resource for their outdoor spaces. The more snow you can collect, the more moisture your garden will have in the spring, which is an added benefit in our drought-prone climate. All mature canopy trees, understory trees, shrubs, and perennials will appreciate the wind/temperature protection and moisture offered by snow piles. Furthermore, with new subdivisions requiring homeowners to plant young trees/shrubs, snow collection (rather than removal) is a wonderful way to protect a new investment in future shade. Collecting and piling snow will assist you in protecting your natural spaces, so in the future, do not think “removal,” think “harvest.”