TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s heavy snowfall and
bitter cold winter have damaged some fruit trees and vineyards,
according to a leading state farm group.
The late thaw is finally
allowing fruit farmers to assess damage from the cold and heavy snow,
the Michigan Farm Bureau said in a report Friday.
"There certainly
is going to be some bud damage, and potential damage to the wood," said
Ken Nye, a horticulture and forestry specialist with the group.
Michigan is the national center for tart cherry production and also a major producer of apples and sweet
cherries.
"Apples
probably weren’t affected too much, but we’ll see some damage to
cherries, peaches, grapes and blueberries," Nye said in a statement.
The health of this year’s crop depends in part on how the spring shapes up, he said.
"The
best case scenario now is for us to stay cool as long as possible," Nye
said. "The way we’re set up right now is we might have the kind of
spring we can get through without too much frost damage. That will vary
by location, but it always does."
Heavy snowfall has "pros and cons," the report said.
"Deep
snow cover is beneficial in that it helps insulate the ground and, come
spring, replenishes both ground- and surface-water reserves in
desperate need of recharging," it said. "But the weight of heavy snows
is already known to have caused damage in some high-density apple
orchards where growers are observing some breakage in lower branches."
The
same thing is true of the near-record ice cover on Lake Michigan, it
said. Much of the state’s cherry production takes place in the Traverse
City area of the northwestern Lower Peninsula, near the lake.
"By
limiting the lake’s normal moderating effect, the iced-up big water
meant more temperature extremes along the coast," the report said. "On
the plus side, the ice has helped ensure a slow warm-up as winter
transitions into spring."
Two years ago, the state’s fruit growers
sustained a harsh blow when an early warm-up and a late freeze nearly
wiped out the tart cherry crop.
"The last thing anyone wants is
the kind of haywire spring we had in 2012," Nye said. "Fruit growers
will take a long, slow warm-up over sudden temperature shifts any time.
Nobody wants another 2012 — ever."
___
Online:
Report: http://bit.ly/1imRWAF
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.