Trees provide much-needed shade during the summer, which is helpful in times of record-breaking heat. While this is the case, mature trees can have dead limbs, defective roots, and rotten bark, resulting in a perfect mix for dangerous and costly property damage, particularly during stormy weather.

Trees that have fallen, whether due to harsh weather or disease, have crushed homes, causing injuries and even death.

You don’t want this to happen to you or your property, do you?

To ensure that it doesn’t, you need to inspect the trees so that you can inspect them. To be on the safe side, inspect the trees before the storm season. Unless you are highly experienced, let a tree services expert do the work.

The proper way to inspect the trees includes:

Take a look at the tree canopies

It is good practice to prune trees on a regular basis and remove dead wood that could become problematic in the future. Getting close to a tree’s leaves and branches is one of the most effective ways to look for dying twigs.

Dead, leafless limbs that need to be removed are much simpler to notice in the summer, when the greens are abundant. The lack of bud formation in trees distinguishes dead material throughout the winter months.

You should carefully inspect the canopies and remove any that don’t look healthy.

Keep your eye out for fungi.

Although tree fungus is not as visible as mushrooms, some external signals can help you locate weak regions inside trees. Conks are saprophytic (meaning they feed on dead matter) round, flat-top shelf mushrooms that grow on tree trunks and sides.

They come in a variety of hues. Other signs of dead or dying tree materials caused by fungus development include cracked tree bark, hollow regions in the trunk, and broken limbs.

Make note of pests.

Healthy trees have an innate immune system that repels hazardous insects. However, if sap flows out of the side or clear holes, it suggests that pests have drilled into the tree. It could also be an indication that the tree is succumbing to insects.

If you notice pests in your trees, you have a reason to worry. You should research the pests and come up with a way of getting rid of them.

You will even be better off if you can hire a professional to help you get rid of the pests.

Be cautious of leaning trees.

A more obvious cause for concern is a tree that is leaning or unbalanced, which could indicate root damage. But don’t jump to the conclusion that an unstable tree is doomed, because not all crooked trees die.

The leaning effect could be due to phototropism, in which plants instinctively align themselves with sunshine.

If the tree has always grown at a slant, it is most likely due to phototropism. However, if the trunk is straight and the tree has only recently begun to curve, there may be cause for concern. If you can’t tell the difference, contact a specialist.

Have an expert look at your trees.

If you are unsure about the health of your trees, see a licensed arborist, who is a tree professional trained to recognize, diagnose, and cure tree problems. When assessing a property’s greenery, these individuals use a holistic approach, ensuring that trees have the correct soil, water, and habitat to grow.

To be on the safe side, get a general inspection every two to three years while the trees are maturing in order to detect and address structural faults early.

Whether you use a local tree service firm or an independent arborist, ensure that they are licensed, insured, and ISA-certified.

Tricks to protect trees from storm damage

There are a number of things you can do to reduce the risk of trees falling on your property and causing damage. These things include:

Give them enough room to grow

This includes not just the trunk and branches, but also the roots: many mature trees have roots that extend hundreds of feet from the trunk and should be protected against compaction.

To minimize trampling, reduce foot and automobile traffic near young trees by planting shrubs or beds of native plants or create a pathway that allows water to permeate while spreading the weight over a broader surface.

Plant trees in groves

It’s tempting to plant a single shade tree, but it’s far better to plant several of them close together. Research conducted in Florida indicates that clusters of five or more trees planted ten feet or fewer apart are 33% less likely to be blown over.

The reason for this is that the tree roots will eventually intertwine, and the roots of one tree might strengthen the roots of surrounding trees.

If you don’t have enough space for many trees, place some huge shrubs within a few yards of any large trees you plant.

Be cautious of the trees you plant

Some varieties of trees are more vulnerable to storm damage than others. People often want to plant evergreens, such as pine trees, as privacy screens or windbreaks, however, multiple studies demonstrate that these trees are considerably more likely to be damaged in storms.

Hardwood trees, such as white oaks and hickories, are much more likely to withstand a storm than pines or even fast-growing deciduous trees like red maple and birch.

Harvard foresters discovered that stands of pine trees were twice to three times more likely to be blown over than stands of white oaks during the catastrophic 1938 storm.

You should never place fast-growing trees directly next to a house or power line.

Parting shot

Storm damage is real, and it can cause a lot of damage. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. To stay on the safe side, work with experienced arborist services Bethesda who will not only protect your property from storm damage, but also guide you on how to plant them properly.