Salt on the roads and very low temps.

[waste]

Richard, thanks for the link, I bookmarked it for future reference.

There was a substance I used to use for melting ice that wasn't on the list - cal-hypo - granular chlorine. It worked like a charm in the ~warmer~ central Va climate when ice storms would coat everything with 1/4 - 1/2" ice. (I used it because I had ~ 50lbs of the stuff on my service truck, at first all I wanted was traction, but the stuff literally 'ate' the ice)
We had a gravel driveway and only a small concrete walkway to it, so I'm not sure of the damage done to surfaces it's applied to, but the grass was all gone near the walkway come spring! (however, when I lived in NH, one could see the effects of 'road salt' on the smaller pines along the interstate - the ones closest to the highway were brown in the spring (on the highway side, yet green on the other). I just wanted to mention the damage of (some) ice melters to the local flora. Any insight as to the 'killing power' of salt, et al, on the botanicals?