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When the average temperature drops below an average of about 7C (45F) and the hours of daylight starts to decrease the tree actually starts to prepare itself for winter.

It stores the food made in the leaves (photosynthates) in storage cells called parenchyma. It then releases it all during winter. Hormones are released in the roots and leaves and travels throughout the tree, signaling to get acclimated for winter. The leaves drop so that water won't evaporate from the tree. The concentration of dissolved chemicals ( solutes) increases inside the cells which lowers the freezing point of the water in the cells. Therefore, as temperatures drop, water outside cells freezes first. Freezing water releases small amounts of heat energy, which in turn, helps cell fluids remain unfrozen. Twig temperatures actually rise several degrees during this process.

Water moves out of cells attracted to the ice crystals in the pore spaces. This prevents the cells from freezing and rupturing. This process effectively reduces the freezing point of the cell's water even more. Also the outer part of the bark (which is biologically dead anyway) has many small air pockets in its structure and acts as an insulator.

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14y ago

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