Saturday, June 1, 2013

Saving storm-damaged trees

After severe weather outbreaks, one of the most common questions homeowners face is what to do with storm-damaged trees. Often the decision to try to keep a tree can be difficult.

Most trees or limbs that come down in typical thunderstorms usually have a defect that caused them to fail. Common defects include decay, poor branch architecture, pervious mechanical damage or poor root structure. If a tree loses a limb during a storm because of decay, it’s possible other limbs on the tree may have similar problems. Therefore, it’s important to try to determine where and why the problem occurred on the tree and if the problem is likely to be repeated.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has put together an illustrated a guide, “Can these trees be saved?” that provides useful insights to help homeowners gauge the condition of their trees after a storm.
A damaged tree is much more of a concern if it is near
a structure, sidewalk or children’s play area than if
it’s alone in a field or along an untraveled woodline.
 

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