Trees already suffering from the effects of recent drought years are becoming more stressed by this winter’s dry weather, a horticulture expert said.

The damage began during the dry years of 2001 and 2003 and already were being seen in trees such as white pines, spruces, pin oaks and evergreens, said Bruce Chladny, horticulture agent with Kansas State University’s Douglas County Agricultural Extension Service.

Even though the Lawrence area saw plentiful rainfall during most of 2005, the latest dry spell is likely to reverse that year’s gains if it continues, Chladny said.

“The root systems are not getting the water,” Chladny said.

At special risk are the older trees because their roots are already established and may not be deep or extended enough to compensate, he said.

“Younger trees might be able to respond better,” Chladny said. “Older trees are slow to regrow the roots and slow to show the damage.”

As of Sunday evening, only 0.84 inches of moisture had been recorded since Jan. 1 in Lawrence, according to the records of 6News meteorologists.

Kerry Wheeler, caretaker at the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, looks at a dying piece of evergreen tree at the fairgrounds. The tree is one of several in the area that have portions that are turning brown or are dying.

That means by spring some evergreens could be dead or dying. It is the result of what is termed “winter kill.” The damage will be seen in the spring when plants that normally bloom or turn green do not.

“Evergreen trees are still needing water,” Chladny said, adding that he has seen evergreens with brown needles.

Out at Cedar Valley Forest, a tree farm in De Soto, Jack Russell said his tree crops had been doing well, even during the dry winter.

“I don’t feel like the weather has affected our trees drastically,” Russell said.

A few years back, Russell began planting his seedlings in the fall rather than the spring, when most tree farms plant their crops.

That way, Russell said, even if the winter is dry and spring rains are sporadic, the trees have already established strong roots ready to soak up rain when it eventually comes.

For example, the brief spurt of rain that fell last week did wonders for his crop, he said. The ground wasn’t frozen, and with the new trees’ shallow roots, his crop came out looking healthy.

Still, Russell said that exceedingly dry conditions could be tough, even on the younger trees. His farm is equipped with an irrigation system to help save the trees during long dry stretches.

“You take a new seedling, and you better provide some water for it,” he said.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Douglas County and the surrounding area is not in a drought. Much of Kansas to the west and some areas to the south are “abnormally dry” with severe drought conditions in southeastern Kansas. Extreme drought areas are in Oklahoma and Texas where there has been an outbreak of grass fires.