Storms can leave even the most pristine landscape in disarray; uprooted trees, broken branches, and stray debris are common post-storm eyesores. To prevent this, evaluate your landscape for potential hazards. Even innocuous tree limbs can prove dangerous in bad weather, so be thorough in your assessment.
Warning Signs
If your trees exhibit the following warning signs, they may be at risk:
- Wires in contact with tree branches are dangerous. Trees may become energized when they are contacted by electric wires.
- Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher branches can fall and cause damage or injury.
- Cracked stems and split branches can cause catastrophic tree failure.
- Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs, or mushrooms growing from the bark indicate a decayed and weakened trunk.
- Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk also indicate structural weakness.
- Fallen or uprooted trees exert pressure on other trees beneath them.
- Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of an unsound root system.
