PA Environment Digest Blog: Protecting Clean Water Together: Drought Conditions, Water Stress And Evergreens In Monroe County

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Protecting Clean Water Together: Drought Conditions, Water Stress And Evergreens In Monroe County

By Carol Hillestad for Brodhead Watershed Association

If you check official sources like www.drought.gov, you’ll see that we are *not* in a drought in the Brodhead Watershed.

That may be technically true. But have you noticed how many trees and shrubs are showing the stress of too little water?

Along most of the main roadways in the watershed — route 447, 390, 191, 940, 611 — worrisome numbers of trees are brown.

Evergreens like spruce and hemlock are especially vulnerable.

If just a few branches or tips are affected, the trees may recover next spring, especially if we have a normal amount of snow this winter.

But brown needles won’t turn green again. So for those that look like sad Charlie Brown Christmas trees, it’s too late.

Other natives suffer water stress too, such as rhododendrons and mountain laurels.

And have you noticed that some maples, hickories and other deciduous trees put on their fall colors sooner than usual?

That’s a sign they’re suffering too. If there’s not enough water, they’ll throw in the towel early, and leaves will start dropping sooner.

Take a tour around your own house, garden, and woodlot. Do things seem just a little droopy?

Are some rhodies, hemlocks, or hollies sporting yellow leaves or brown needles?

You can’t fix what’s already shriveled, but it’s not too late to help your natives through the winter.

Cold winter weather is hard on everyone, including the hardiest trees. Frozen ground means zero water available to your plants’ roots.

So before the ground freezes, water them regularly, aiming for a very slow, deep root watering. Once a week is a good goal, unless we have a gentle, soaking rain.

You don’t want to saturate the soil — your goal is moist, not soupy, soil — so plan to set a timer and check often.

Newly planted trees, shrubs, and garden beds will need attention, too.

Your local garden center is a great resource for advice heading into winter. And this last burst of time and energy in the garden will reward you many times over next spring!

For more information, visit the Drought Information - Monroe County webpage.

The 30-day precipitation map shows we are well below normal for rainfall.

Visit the Brodhead Protecting Clean Water Together webpage for more articles in this series.

Brodhead Watershed Association protects water quality and quantity throughout our area. Get involved! Become a member!

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NewsClips:

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