By Joe Zeleznik, Forester

NDSU Extension

It’s been a tough winter on my spruce trees, and we’re only in December!

The heavy snow and high winds have pulled a lot of needles and smaller twigs from the trees. It doesn’t help that, when I clear the driveway with the snowblower, the spruce trees are right where I aim the chute.

But these trees will endure, as they do every winter.

Evergreens are powerful symbols of renewal and rebirth. The tradition of bringing an evergreen tree or boughs into the home has been around for thousands of years. During the darkest — that is, shortest — days of winter, evergreens are a reminder that spring will eventually come and that nature will begin its cycle of growth once again.

So, I’m not too worried about those spruce trees. Most of those fallen needles were dead or dying anyway. The wind and snow just hastened their fall. Unfortunately, a few healthy twigs were lost in the process.

It’s like brushing the dog’s coat — we pull out the extra hairs that have served their purpose and are not needed anymore. Mostly. A few of the newer and younger hairs can get pulled out in the process, but not enough to harm the dog.

And the tree trees will go on.

And it’s not just the evergreens that remind us of growth in mid-winter. Some trees and shrubs still have fruit on them, sustaining birds and other wildlife through the lean times.

Last weekend, I watched a bunch of chickadees at my daughter’s house, working their way through the brush in her backyard. They were searching for food to sustain themselves, and they were successful.

The birds — and the trees — will not only endure winter, but they’ll also persevere. What’s the difference?

Endurance is more passive and involves outlasting the tough times. Perseverance involves growing through the tough times, changing and becoming stronger.

Endurance is easy to understand with the trees. They’re pretty passive in winter when they’re dormant. We don’t see any growth, nor will we see any until the buds begin to swell in spring.

It’s harder to observe perseverance in the trees right now. As far as we can see, there’s nothing active happening.

But inside the trees, in their smallest cells, they’re slowly active. Very, very slowly.

Dormancy in trees reminds me of hibernating bears. The bears are alive and breathing. They’re making energy from their fat to stay warm, but everything is slowed down.

In the trees, those cells are slowly burning the sugar they made in their leaves last summer. They’re processing the hormones that keep them dormant, and ever so slowly, they create other ones that will signal the timing for budbreak in the spring.

The trees’ persistence and perseverance give me hope. The darkest days are here right now, but spring will come again. It does every year.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Dec. 23, 2025

Source: Joe Zeleznik, 701-231-8143, joseph.zeleznik@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu