The Farmer's Almanac Calls for Cold and Snowy for 2010 Colorado Winter

Though trees and plants are dormant during the cold winter months, they may still suffer damage from frigid temperatures, winter drying and pooling ice around their roots.  Though pruning in the spring can mitigate problems of frozen, dead branches, it is in the root systems that horticulturalists see problems which cause mortality for trees and plants in early spring.

An additional layer of mulch on garden beds and around trees during winter can help alleviate drying and keep soil temperatures warmer. Mulch will also keep ice from pooling around plant stems and roots, a problem that can cause "freezer burn" and dessication of crucial rootlets responsible for early uptake of moisture in the spring.

Shredded mulches are better at winter protection than chunky barks, and break down into helpful compost more easily over the years. If you prefer the bark pieces but want to protect your landscape's roots, you may rake back the bark chunks, install a shred on the soil and then recover with the bark. The more stable shredded mulch may also keep your bark from dislodging during winter storms and winds.