Snow got you down? Think about what it's doing to your trees.
Posted by Sue Bennett
It's not a scene anyone wants to see outside their house.
Your beautiful tree, the one you love to watch bloom in the spring, become vibrant in the summer and radiant in the fall, is slumped over in your yard or laying on the ground. It's a sad scene, but not altogether unfixable, depending on the extent of the damage.
Snow is light and fluffy in the air, but can add significant amounts of stress to the structure of trees and shrubs when snow and ice accumulate. When a branch can no longer sustain the added pressure, it may crack or break in half. Hopefully, the tree's branches, or the tree itself avoids damaging your house or your car when it falls. If it does, call a tree care company (like The Care of Trees) that has a 24 hour tree care emergency line for tree care issues.
If it is not an emergency, but there is still significant damage, you need a certified arborist to come look at your trees. Arborists are trained to evaluate the extent of the damage and the possibility of saving the tree or not. Click here to Request a Consulation with a certified arborist.
You might be asking yourself, how can I avoid this in the future?
Here are a few tips to help you minimize storm damage to your trees:
- When planting trees, give them enough room to grow fully and balanced. Avoid planting near utility wires, too close to buildings or on steep banks. Make sure the tree has good structure (not lopsided or with weak multiple trunks) and is not planted too deeply. The ground line should be a little below where the trunk begins to flair above the roots. The nursery where you buy the tree can show you the proper depth.
- To encourage strong, healthy trees, be sure to mulch and fertilize. Spread a layer of mulch, available from garden stores, from the trunk out at least three feet but better yet as far as the branches reach. Don't make it any deeper than four inches, otherwise you may hinder root growth. Consult an arborist for fertilizing recommendations.
- When the ground is not frozen, trees need at least an inch of water a week. If Mother Nature doesn't supply it, provide supplemental water, especially for the first year or two following planting.
- Prune out dead limbs and ones that grow improperly, like crossing other branches. Dense trees can be pruned to reduce wind resistance and thus their likelihood to be blown over. Pruning, especially large trees, is dangerous and best left to experts with the proper equipment and know-how.
- Avoid damaging or cutting roots when digging around trees. Healthy roots ensure a stronger tree.
- Done by an arborist, cabling and bracing techniques can be effective ways to extend the life of a tree and can reduce the risk of it failing.
- Large trees near structures, where cars park or where people gather should have a risk assessment by an arborist. They may be of a type that has shallow roots and thus more likely to topple, or internal cavities undetectable without special equipment.
- Install lightning protection systems on high-value trees. These systems dissipate the electrical charge from the lightning into the ground, protecting the tree. If a tree is damaged by lightning, most insurers require homeowners to have the damaged tree appraised.