Elms and fruit trees are among the most vulnerable while oak and beech are among the most tolerant of ice loading. In general, younger deciduous trees are better able to survive than older ones due to their more supple nature and limited branching. Icing damages plants by sealing leaves, stems and buds from the air, thereby suffocating parts of the plant. Similarly, ice sheets forming over snow surfaces, should they persist, may suffocate or poison overwintering species such as winter wheat. Animals active in the winter must also cope with the effects of an ice storm.
Many animals starve when they are unable to reach seeds, buds, or other food locked in the ice.
Deer, for example, find it difficult to browse when young shoots become encased in ice. Birds unable to find a sheltered perch during the storm may have their feet frozen to a branch or their wings covered in ice. Grouse buried in snow drifts are often encased by the ice layer and suffocate. While a walk through a forest after an ice storm may give the impression of large-scale destruction amid crystalline beauty, an ice storm also provides several vital functions. The same mechanical action that downs branches also releases seeds, promotes regeneration, prunes dead or dying branches, and indirectly provides nesting and sleeping cavities for birds and other animals.