Jim,

A good point, we are growing our trees NOW. However, NOW is different each
year, and we generally look at what the weather has historically done to try
and have some idea of what the weather may do NOW, or next year, etc. If we
only look at the last 10 years or so to make this judgment we may get a
false sense of what could possibly happen with the weather NOW.

Well, since we're gowing trees NOW, we should have a zone system
that reflects the NOW. If things change -- in whatever
direction -- the zones can always be revised again. The USDA has
revised them several times already in their short life. And,
perhaps, hopefully, further research, can result in other
environmental conditions being factored in to make the system
truly useful.

One thing that might help the USDA zone map would be to factor in record
lows somehow, not just the average. Another would be to more closely define
the designated areas, much like Sunset does. Of course, it might be too
expensive and time consuming for the USDA to go into that kind of detail.

Regards,
Roger Snipes Spokane, WA Zone 5, or maybe Zone 6.
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it,
and then misapplying the wrong remedies. Groucho Marx (1895-1977)

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