Released Dec. 14, 2007
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- If recent high winds have damaged trees or shrubs in your yard your woody plants will do best if you apply "first aid" sooner rather than later.
The earlier you take care of injured plants, the better chance they have of recovering, advised Ross Penhallegon, horticulturist with the Oregon State University Extension Service.
For minor damage, involving small limbs that break or crack, cut the damaged twigs and limbs back to the nearest strong, healthy wood or bud. When pruning back to healthy wood, make the pruning cut nearly flush with the nearest side limb. Cut to the swollen area called the “collar.” Do not leave a stub or snag, as leaving a stub allows disease to enter and invites insect damage. Remove all fractured or splintered wood. These surfaces are inviting places for infection or rot to take hold.
If your tree or shrub limbs are bent but not cracked, don't cut the whole limb off right away, said Penhallegon. Instead, remove extra weight from the limb by first cutting off smaller expendable side limbs. Then leave it alone. With time, the limb may straighten out.
Or, if impatience gets the best of you, prop up the branch with wood or use rope to tie the branch back up into its natural position. Over time you can sometimes reposition it back near where it is supposed to be.
The recent gale-force winds have broken large limbs from trees, caused major splits in tree trunks and knocked thousands of trees down in the Pacific Northwest. A broken major limb should be sawed back to the trunk or major side limb. Make the cut as clean as possible to help prevent rot diseases from becoming established in the area of the cut. Do not apply any coatings to the cut.
Some trees may be damaged beyond repair, or may require more work than most homeowners are willing to do. Young, fast-growing trees have the best chance to recover from major damage. Trees less likely to recover from significant damage are those showing little re-growth each year, trees that have been damaged before and old trees with scraggly growth.
In the early spring, apply nitrogen fertilizer around the drip line area of recovering trees and shrubs to encourage vigorous growth.
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http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=1014&storyType=garden
Contacts: Carol Savonen, (541) 737-3380
Ross Penhallegon, (541) 682-4243
Pat Patterson, (541) 682-4243
