Brrrrr!! We are just at the beginning at the harshest part of the winter season. You can bundle up when you go out in that Northern Nevada weather, but your trees and shrubs are subjected to it 24/7. There are so many more factors regarding the severity of weather damage than you can expect. Contrary to popular opinion, an unusually cold winter is not the culprit so much as temperature fluctuation.
Plants that are not completely acclimated to winter and the sudden drop in temperatures may be damaged by a hard freeze. Now, if an extended period of unseasonably mild winter weather occurs woody plants are even MORE vulnerable to the next sudden drop below 32 degrees. How often has that happened in the Reno area?
All of this is simply to say keep an eye on your back yard and when the “dust settles” assess the situation. At that point make a call to The Reno area tree professional. His name is Greg Chavez. His name and his game are right on his website at www.thetreeprofessional.com. Give him a call 12 months a year at (775) 420-8694.