Trees and Storms: Give Trees a Chance

Any tree can fail in extreme storms, but most often trees fail due to the presence of defects, such as severe decay or branches that are weakly attached. Downed trees and limbs can cause property damage, injury, power outages and road closures. What can you do after—and even before—a storm to protect these natural assets?

Protect these natural assets before, and after, storms

Trees add value to our town and homes: they lower energy consumption in buildings, reduce stormwater runoff, provide privacy, and increase property values by up to 15%. However, even long-lived trees eventually decline in health and the likelihood of failure increases.

Any tree can fail in extreme storms, but most often trees fail due to the presence of defects, such as severe decay or branches that are weakly attached. Downed trees and limbs can cause property damage, injury, power outages and road closures.

Homeowners should be proactive in identifying trees that pose a high risk to their property and to the public. Remove or prune these trees before storms occur. Keeping your trees healthy can also make them more storm tolerant. Plant hardy species away from utility lines, protect trees from damage and periodically prune dead and poorly attached branches.

Following a natural disaster, many people overreact and remove safe, healthy and valuable trees. After a storm, make careful decisions, prune broken branches, treat wounds and remove only dangerous trees. Give trees with less damage a chance to recover. Healthy, vigorous trees can often come back from significant damage, even with the loss of more than 50% of the crown.

Most of us don’t have the skills and equipment to do tree work safely and correctly. Hire an experienced, professional arborist to provide these services. Look for arborists from an established company, with proper insurance and professional certification.

For more information on tree care before and after storm damage, visit these websites:  

 

  • Printer-friendly version