To Wrap Or Not To Wrap, That Is The Question

It’s common sense, experts say: in the winter, especially on the East End, trees and evergreen shrubs are prone to a little burning.

They are not talking about burning in the traditional sense. There is no fire involved. Instead, the culprits are salt and wind—a combination which can prove deadly for evergreens.

Some residents across the Hamptons, especially those living near the ocean or the wide-open, windy fields, opt to protect their beloved trees and shrubbery with burlap screens and wraps. This practice, it turns out, is highly debated among arborists.

“I’ve personally never found a use for tree wraps,” Michael Gaines, owner of CW Arborists in East Hampton, said during a telephone interview last week. “The idea is that they protect the plant from winter burn, but I just don’t understand it. It’s my opinion that a healthy tree or shrub will stand the winter just as well without it, if it’s planted in the right zone. The appropriate plant in the appropriate place, you tend not to have a problem.”

But other experts disagree. Ray Smith & Associates Plant Health Care Manager Rebekah Schulz said there’s never a time tree wraps wouldn’t be appropriate.

“It’s just a little extra something you can do for your plants to help them overwinter better,” she explained during a telephone interview last week from her Southampton office. “It’s not going to hurt the plant at all. There wouldn’t be any damage from wrapping them. Anytime burlap is used, it’s always for winter protection.”

Burlap is the wrap of choice because it’s a plant material that’s organic, biodegradable, cost-effective and easy to work with, Ms. Schulz said. The wraps go on in the late fall and are taken off in the spring. In between, they protect plants from salt burn and windburn, she said.

During the winter, salt on the roads or off the ocean can give plants a contact burn or be taken up in the roots and then burn the trees or shrubs from the inside out, Ms. Schulz said. Wind affects a plant through transpiration—a dehydrating process that pulls moisture out of the plant. Ultimately, the plant dries out.

There are two common practices to protect against both salt and wind burns here on the East End: wraps and screens.

First, an arborist can wrap the plant with burlap, making a snug bundle, Ms. Schulz said. This is generally used on small shrubs, she reported, and can cost hundreds of dollars, depending on the number of plants and their size.

Wind screening is preferred for larger trees, Ms. Schulz said. The screens are constructed with 2-by-4 wood planks attached by a burlap screen, she reported. The practice is more expensive than burlap wraps and can cost thousands, she added.

But, aside from the expense, Ms. Schulz said that there is no downside to wrapping and burlapping shrubs and trees.

“There are no drawbacks. This doesn’t stunt the plant’s growth,” Ms. Schulz said. “The only thing I have heard, in theory but not actually seen it through my experience, is if it’s a particularly windy winter, the burlap could burn any new buds.”

However, Flanders-based Hampton Lawn & Tree owner Jim McGaughey warns against one burn and predator prevention practice that he’s seen here on the East End: trunk wraps.

“You have to be extremely careful,” he said during a recent telephone interview. “I don’t think it’s a highly recommended practice at all.

Let me wrap you and see how you feel after a while. It can be a dangerous practice.”

Trunk wraps, which are generally made from paper or plastic, cover the trunk from its base to a point just above the lowest branches. Experts recommend removing the wrap in the spring to prevent insect infestation and girdling, or ring barking, which causes the weakening and eventual removal of tree bark.

For those who insist on trunk wrapping, the key is to monitor any tree growth and adjust the wraps accordingly, Mr. McGaughey said. If not, the wraps will seriously damage the bark, he said, if the deer don’t get to it first.

“The deer are what you have to worry about out here,” he said. “You’ve just got to constantly keep on top of them. But some of the properties are so big out here, it’s just inevitable that the bucks will rub on your trees and damage them. They don’t live in the woods anymore. They live in your backyard.”

Wind screens are a way to protect against the ever-growing deer population on the East End, Mr. McGaughey said, but he generally steers clear of all tree wrapping practices when it comes to protecting against winter desiccation.

“I try to avoid it because of time and money. If a tree is in good health, it’s going to be part of the environment,” he said.

To avoid winter burn next year, plan ahead before planting new trees and shrubs, the experts agreed. Set them away from the road and out of reach of any salt spray. Protect broadleaf evergreens from the drying winter sun with an anti-desiccant spray, which coats foliage with a protective waxy film. And to help preserve moisture, cover the root areas with a 3-inch-thick layer of mulch.

According to Mr. McGaughey, paying attention to shrubs and trees is the best course. But remember, sometimes good intentions can have unexpectedly poor results, he said.

“Anything needs love. The more love you give it, the better it will be,” Mr. McGaughey said. “But you need to be careful when it comes to trunk and tree wraps.”