Stormy weather can wreak havoc on your trees, creating potential hazards for people and property. A professional tree service should assess damaged trees. Detecting signs of weakness before a storm may help prevent costly damages. Signs to look for include exposed roots, heaving soil, and twiggy branches.
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Prevention
Well-maintained trees and shrubs are far more likely to resist damage from severe weather events. Proper year-round tree trimming and pruning reduces the opportunity for weakened branches to fall during storms. Additionally, getting trees away from power lines and different structures will help to limit the threat of damage during a powerful storm. While cleaning up after a bad storm is undoubtedly a homeowner’s responsibility, many of these tasks are best left to the professionals at Tree Work Now. In addition to removing problematic limbs, tree services help clear roadways and make buildings and other infrastructure safe for residents. Homeowners can help prepare their property for a storm by moving anything that could get thrown around during the event, such as lawn furniture, tools, flower pots, and garbage cans. They should also check for signs of a pending storm, such as exposed roots, cracks in trunks, and heaving soil at the tree’s base.
Detection
During regular tree trimming and maintenance, professional tree service companies can identify the weakened areas in trees vulnerable to storm damage. Removing dead branches can make a tree more resilient to severe weather. Thinning and crown reduction techniques can also reduce a tree’s weight, reducing its chances of becoming uprooted during a storm. Significant limb damage and uprooted trees can harm buildings, vehicles, and people during high winds and severe weather. A professional should assess and promptly remove them to reduce property damage and potential injuries. Trees growing too close to structures and utilities should be trimmed or moved. During a storm, they can easily damage building foundations, utility lines, and other structures. Moreover, they can obstruct sidewalks and roadways, making them unsafe for pedestrians. Tree services can help alleviate traffic and safety issues after a storm by removing these potential risks.
Removal
Proper maintenance and inspections can prevent many problems that make a tree vulnerable to storm damage. Watering, fertilization, and soil protection from compaction are essential to keep trees healthy and strong. Proper pruning of dead or weakened limbs and thinning of the canopy can also improve the tree’s resilience to strong winds. In addition, it is always wise to get a professional opinion regarding the health of a tree and whether or not it needs to be removed. Significant limb damage, signs of leaning, and root issues are all potential problems that a professional should evaluate. Finally, keeping trees and structures far from power and utility lines is critical. These can be severed in a storm and cause severe damage and even injuries. Contact your utility provider immediately to have downed power lines cleared. Also, always be wary of touching or even looking at downed power lines; they carry a dangerous electrical current that can injure or kill you.
Restoration
A tree service company will clean up any fallen limbs and debris from storm damage. In addition, they will prune and trim trees so that they are not prone to further damage in the future. They also reduce site problems and insects, which can affect a tree’s health. They will even brace and cable weaker trees, making them less likely to fall during severe weather. When working on a tree, they will assess the situation before using chainsaws or climbing equipment. They will check for signs of weakened or diseased trees, such as peeling bark, chips at the base of the trunk, heaving soil, holes or cavities, dead branches and twigs, leafless twigs, and budless branches. They will then make treatment recommendations. They may recommend re-structuring the crown by pruning, fertilizing, or soil amendments. Before starting work on the tree, they will also mark buried utilities like septic tanks, sprinkler systems, and buried phone, gas, or electric lines.