Have you dressed up your tree for that storm?
Last years storms are gone, but there will be more to
come. It is that time of the year when storms in all
shapes and forms are ready to create havoc throughout the
country. As trees are often the focal point in the home
landscape, losing even one is significant. One of the
greatest dangers posed by storms are presented by falling
trees. Unsafe trees are a threat to lives and property.
In Preparing trees for these natural disasters is a must
and should be done well in advance of the stormy season.
To help ease these dangers, have a professional arborist
evaluate your trees. Doing this will help you determine
potential weaknesses and dangers.
Over the years, growing trees will "catch" more
wind and become heavier, so they are prone to increased
mechanical stresses, thus increasing the chances of
failure. Larger trees will also affect an increased area
should they or their larger limbs fall. This means that
power lines, homes and other structures that might not
have been threatened a few years ago might suddenly be
under threat by a tree that has grown.
What can you do?
Call Ames Story Tree Service, your tree care
professional: Ask the arborist to evaluate problems you
have found and
prioritize treatment. You should also ask the arborist to
look for signs of potential hazards, such as stress
cracks, weak
branches and other subtle or hidden indicators of
potential hazards.
Look at your trees for the following warning signs:
Wires in contact with tree branches. Trees may become
energized when they are contacted by electric wires.
Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher
branches that could fall and cause damage or injury.
Cracked stems and branch forks that could cause
catastrophic failure of a tree section.
Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs, or
mushrooms growing from the bark that indicate a decayed
and weakened stem.
Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk, also
indicates structural weakness.
Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees
beneath them.
Tight, V-shaped forks which are much more prone to
failure than open U-shaped ones.
Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of
an unsound root system.
Remember, too, that a tree is a living thing, and its
integrity and stability changes over time, so don't
assume that a tree that has
survived 10 severe storms will necessarily survive an
eleventh.
If you are unsure about your tree's health, call Ames
Story Tree Service and we will identify and remove
hazards as well as treat the causes of tree health
problems.
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