Signs Your Tree Needs Proactive Storm Prep Work (And What to Do Before the Next One)
Whether your region is prone to snowstorms, hurricanes, or tornados, your trees may be at risk of causing damage to your property or threatening the safety of your family and neighbors. Storms pose a threat to any tree. However, damaged and diseased trees are especially susceptible to downed branches, splitting, and toppling over. To help you hunker down for storm season, the arborists at Monster Tree Service share the signs your tree needs proactive storm prep work and what to do before the next one hits. No matter what kind of storm is heading your way, these three tree storm preparation tips will help mitigate the risk of tree-related damage.
How Do You Know When Your Tree Needs Proactive Storm Prep Work?
If mature trees grace your property, it can be challenging to see past the beauty and analyze the potential risks they pose during storm season. So, how do you know when your tree needs proactive storm prep work? Here are the main signs to consider.
Your tree may need proactive storm prep work if…
It’s closer than 15 feet to your home
Branches hang over roofs, driveways, sidewalks, or streets
Signs of peeling, bark, dead limbs, or leaves are present
Branches are broken or split
Evidence of pest infestations or disease is present
In some cases, it is best to call in a licensed arborist for tree removal services to eliminate the risk posed by the tree completely. However, you can mitigate risks with proactive storm prep work, including pruning and plant health care services.
How Can Storms Damage Trees?
There are many different ways that storms can damage trees. For example, high winds from hurricanes and tornadoes can break off branches and even uproot trees. In addition, lighting strikes can split a tree, cause branches to break off,cause internal damage or even set a tree on fire. Finally, snowstorms can weigh down a tree with snow and ice, leading to broken limbs or uprooting. While different storms pose different risks, three simple tree storm preparation tips can help prevent damage to your trees and property.
3 Ways to Prep Your Trees for Storm Season
1. Inspect Your Trees
Healthy trees will have a better time weathering the storm than unhealthy trees! To effectively prep your trees for storm season, you need to know the health status of your trees. Inspecting trees for dead sections, broken branches, diseases, pest infestations, root rot, ground heaving and leans will allow you to address and treat the issues accordingly. If you don’t know what to look for, don’t worry. The licensed and insured arborist at Monster Tree Service can inspect your tree, assess its health, and offer recommendations on the next steps for storm preparation.
2. Pruning and Trimming
Broken and dead branches are one of the biggest threats to the safety of your trees, property, and family during a storm. Getting your trees pruned and trimmed regularly can significantly decrease the chances of damage to your trees and home during a storm. For example, removing any dead or broken branches will decrease the risk of them falling during heavy winds. While reducing the tree crown will reduce the surface area and help mitigate the risk of wind sail effect in high winds. Call a certified arborist if you’re unsure what needs to be pruned or cannot prune a large tree yourself. Monster Tree Service offers corrective pruning, deadwooding, and crown density reduction — all excellent options for keeping your trees storm-ready.
3. Maintain Tree Health
Inspecting and pruning trees before a storm is important, but continued maintenance is the best preventative measure to ensure your trees are healthy enough to weather the storms ahead. Investing in plant health care services like fertilization, insect and disease management, and soil and root management will keep your tree looking great and prevent compromising health issues that may not be noticeable above the surface. Healthy trees are better prepared to weather the storm and recover from any minor damages caused by high winds.
Stay Ahead of the Storm
Storms season can cause severe damage to your trees and property, so you need to prepare before the next storm strikes. Staying ahead of the storm will save you time and money. If the next storm causes damage, the Monster Tree Service team is here to assist with emergency tree removal and cleanup services. We know you care about your trees as much as we do, so we want to help you keep them healthy no matter what happens. Together we can weather the storm!