Plants vary in their susceptibility to sun scald. Wind and sun, alone or in combination, can damage evergreens because they cause the plants to transpire or lose water through their leaves. The water is not replaced because the roots cannot pick up water in cold or frozen soil. The leaves turn brown, starting with brown edges or needle tips and progressing between the veins or down the needles. The most severe damage will be on tissue farthest away from the veins, such as leaf edges, leaf tips and tops of plants.
Damage is usually most severe on the side of the plant exposed to sun and air flow.
The most acute damage happens on the south and west sides of the plant. These maladies may be prevented by protecting the plant from the wind or shading the plant. Sun and Wind Scald of Bark Sun scald occurs on sunny days in winter when the bark of a tree is warmed by the sun, especially on the southwest side of the trunk. The bark and cambial tissues deacclimate and are not able to reacclimate quickly enough when the sun sets and the temperature drops abruptly. The result is damage or death of tissue.