A hard winter can take great toll on evergreens. Come spring, notice the browning on evergreen shrubs and trees. This browning is called winter burn or desiccation.
Because evergreens retain their leaves throughout the winter, they are susceptible to a variety of winter related problems. And because the leaves on evergreens are still green and living, they need to be able to use and take up water from the soil.
Dessication happens when cold winter winds blow past evergreens and pull moisture out of the leaves at a more rapid rate than the plant can replace the moisture. If the ground is frozen and the plant cannot take up enough water, the leaves then brown as a result. This typically shows up on the windward, sun-exposed side of the plant and is not uniformly spaced around the plant. This can happen on young as well as old trees and shrubs.
The other possible cause of browning on evergreens is salt spray. Evergreens that are close to sidewalks and roadways where de-icing occurs may get splashed with salt. Because salt draws water from plant tissue, this salt spray can cause winter burn in evergreens. This will appear on the side of the tree closest to the sidewalk or street.
An evergreen can overcome this damage, in time, if it just occurs on a portion of the plant.
During spring and summer, the evergreen will start to put on new growth in the areas where it was not too badly damaged. If no growth has come from a branch by June, it's likely that the branch was too badly damaged and will need pruned out.
To prevent winter burn next year, makesure evergreens are well watered in the fall going into winter. Anti-dessicant sprays can be purchased and applied following the label's directions, and a burlap wrap around the plant can deflect some wind.