The high winds wrangled our trees in Richmond last week, with sustained gusts up to 27mph, tossing out every dead limb in my large Willow Oak. I stayed busy the next day cleaning up the mess and am fortunate to have a healthy and sturdy tree, though I have been diligent to keep an eye on it throughout the seasons. As an arborist, I am always looking up and contemplating how I might do some hazard mitigation, but what should the average homeowner look for and how might they prepare for each season?
The winter is a slow season for tree companies and a good time to consider having a professional come out to do an inspection of the tree. Most companies are happy to come out on short notice to have a look and offer some free advice on how to prune the trees, perhaps offering a solution for the heavy weight of the leaves in the Spring. Deciduous trees are much easier to inspect in the winter with the leaves gone, making it the ideal time to see much more from the ground, and hopefully avoid some issues before next season. To go a step further, you could consider having an aerial inspection of the canopy with a climber, to get an up close look at all the branches and their trunk unions.
Some features you can look for as an untrained homeowner is looking for any seams running down from the main branch unions in your tree. This could likely indicate ‘included bark’ which is a defect that could lead to branch failure. This is common in trees with multiple trunks, like a Bradford Pear and some maples. Mitigation for this would involve pruning the end of the limb and possibly adding a cable for added support. If you’re concerned and not sure, remember to trust your gut and make the right decision, especially if the result is damage to your home or property.
The other obvious signs to look for are decay at the root flare, on the trunk or if there’s large dead sections in the canopy. This is an indication of a larger issue that might indicate the tree needs to be removed. Another sign of decay is mushrooms on the trunk or close to the base of the tree, a result of disease or root rot. Cracks in the trees, trees with heavy lean, and upheaved earth at the base of the tree are big red flags for structural integrity and should be inspected to avoid whole tree failures!
It’s important to remember to look at your trees throughout every season, looking up to see what’s changing on the trunks and in the canopies. The watchful homeowner can catch a ton of issues before they turn into an incident or insurance claim, and that saves a lot of time and energy. It’s best to feel confident knowing your trees are ready for the coming season, and that they can stand up to the sudden unfortunate weather!
