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Do it myself
or hire someone to do it?
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ASSESSING THE DAMAGE
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The first step is to assess the situation and to decide what needs
to be done, and by whom. Immediately, notify police of any wires
that are down on sidewalks or the street. Stay away, and keep
other people away! In case of tree damage on your property,
notify the phone or electric company of any problems with wires, and do not try to correct the situation yourself!
If street trees are the responsibility of the municipality, report damage to the department that handles tree care. Check to
see if they will remove the downed branches of privately owned
trees if brought to curbside.
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ATTENTION:
DANGER SIGNS
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For removal of downed trees or repair of damaged ones, decide if
you want to do the work or to hire someone to do it for you. Tree
work can be extremely dangerous. A tree care company should be
used when:
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a tree is large and requires high climbing or the use of a
chain saw. |
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the tree is partially down (for example, leaning on a
structure or entangled with another tree.) |
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wires are involved or structures are endangered. |
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major repair of the tree is necessary such as cabling or
bolting a split fork. |
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large limbs are split or broken but still attached to the
tree. |
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you do not have the proper tools, knowledge, or health to do
tree work. |
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SELECTING A PROFESSIONAL
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After a storm, it is common in some areas for people to show up
at your door offering their services to remove or repair trees. As one urban forester
warned, "They seem to come out of the
woodwork, people we have never even heard of before."Do not be a victim. Make sure you use only
professionals who:
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Also, get more than one estimate, when possible. In
case of removals, have a clear understanding about who removes
the limbs and debris from the property, and whether or not the
price includes stump removal and clean-up. Your tree may have
value as firewood or chips, either to yourself or if sold to
others, and that value should be considered in the estimate.
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WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE NEXT STORM ARRIVES!!
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An ounce of prevention ...
The old ounce of prevention. Above all else, this is the best
way to protect trees from storm damage. The keys to prevention
are:
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| Think ahead when planting trees.
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Visualize the young tree when it is mature and avoid planting it
near wires, too close to a building or in spots where it will be
in danger of blowing over (such as on the edge of a bank.)
Planting in groups or planting species with naturally deep root
systems can also help prevent trees from being blown down. |
|
| Avoid planting brittle
species.
| Avoid planting brittle species on
sites where breakage will cause problems. Examples include
elms, willows, box elder, poplars, and silver maples. |
|
| Avoid
planting species that hold their leaves late into the
fall.
| Where early ice storms are common, avoid
planting species that hold their leaves late into the
fall. |
|
| Avoid cutting roots, minimize root damage.
| During sidewalk replacement or other excavation
near a tree be especially careful to avoid cutting roots and to
keep root damage to a minimum. |
|
| Prune young trees to
prevent development of weak form.
| Beginning when a tree is young, prune it to prevent development of weak form. |
| See "Pruning
Young Trees" on the home page of the International
Society of Arboriculture. |
|
| Prune dead or weakened limbs, annually.
| Annually prune dead or weakened limbs, and occasionally thin excess branches from the crown.
The goal
is to produce a well-shaped tree with the center of gravity
squarely over the trunk and a crown that lets wind pass through
rather than catching it like a sail. |
| See "Basic
Principles of Pruning Woody Plants."
 |
This is an excellent paper prepared by
the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
Service. It covers a range of sizes from clipping
twigs to the three-cut method of removing large tree limbs.
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| Reinforce particularly valuable
trees.
| For particularly valuable trees, a
professional arborist can strengthen tree crowns by
installing flexible cabling, rigid bracing and/or a lip-bolt
through a weak or split crotch. This will allow the tree to
function more as a single unit, with major limbs supporting each
other. |
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| Keep trees healthy and vigorous.
| Keep trees healthy and vigorous by
watering, fertilizing, and protecting the soil from
compaction. |
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Removal of hazardous trees is also part of prevention. Under the
law, tree owners are required to recognize dangerous conditions
and correct them. Property owners can be held liable for
injuries or damage to the property of others if they fail to
remove a tree that falls under reasonably foreseeable
circumstances.
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ADDITIONAL
REFERENCES
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