This past year has been a tough one when it comes to the health and stability of trees in Haliburton County. Heavy snowpacks, a devastating ice storm, windstorms, and prolonged heat and drought have put many different species under extreme stress. But, according to a local expert, trees are designed to withstand and survive multiple hardships, but don't live forever.CanoeFM went into the Haliburton Forest recently with Thomas McCay, a forester, who explained how trees have various coping strategies to handle the wild weather we've experienced this past growing season, but it's the spread on invasive species that pose the greatest threats to trees. Both Beech Bark Disease and Wooly Hemlock Adelgid are devastating forests and as yet there is no known treatment to deal with the impact they're having on our tree canopy here.