Robert Spartz, from Davey Tree Expert Company in Eldridge, says that taking a few precautions now will preserve your landscaping in the spring. People should be especially careful if they live in high traffic areas.
"It actually turns that salt into a mist and then what's happening is the mist is getting kind of drafted into the air and is landing on the tree or a shrub or whatever plant it may be that could be potentially hazardous to and it kind of coats that."
Spartz also recommends piling snow from your sidewalk and driveway away from plants and trees. Once the weather warms up, make sure your trees are well-watered.
"You really need to focus on leaching that salt deep enough so the roots are not able to be kind of dried out by it because what the salt is doing is holding onto that moisture and surrounding the tree roots and not allowing the water to be taken up by the plant."
Oak trees are better able to tolerate salt than evergreens.
If you do choose to spread salt, choose one with calcium chloride because it is less harmful to plants than salt with sodium chloride.