Garden Hotline: Check on trees before storm season begins

Published Saturday, March 04, 2006

Mardi Gras occurred in New Orleans this week and it brought up memories of Hurricane Katrina and the last hurricane season. It's only three months until the next hurricane season arrives. Have you ever wondered why some trees are affected during a bad storm and others not? There may be things that you are doing or not doing in your landscape that are contributing to potential tree storm damage.

Tree researchers have formed some conclusions as to how a particular tree may be affected in a major storm. It has been observed that trees which have been preventively pruned are less likely to fall than neglected trees. Most likely this is because the canopy is not as dense and wind will have a lessened effect.

A tree with one dominant trunk tends to fair better than trees with codominant stems. Trees with codominant or V-shaped trunks tend to split at the union during high winds. These are things that can be addressed if you have maintenance pruning done to your young trees.

Roots can affect a tree's behavior during a storm. Root defects such as a girdling root can cause a tree to blow over. A girdling root is one that will lie up against the base of a tree. Roots that run perpendicular to the tree are most desirable. Girdling roots can be cut to eliminate their negative affects.

For new landscapes, you should consider some observations which have been made from previous hurricanes. Trees growing in confined soil spaces are prone to blowing over.

Trees in a group blow down less frequently than single trees. Queen palms are prone to falling over while Cabbage and Phoenix palms are able to stand firm in hurricanes.

Construction activities within about 20 feet of the trunk of existing trees can cause the tree to blow over more than a decade later.

Trees can modify our living spaces to make them more pleasant so don't take your trees for granted. Give them the maintenance they need to help them stand strong against a hurricane.