Released February 11, 2009
MANHATTAN, Kan. – High winds can expose trees’ weak spots – badly forked branches, naturally brittle wood, previous injury or damage, and shallow or weak roots.
“Fortunately, one of the worst-looking outcomes of gale-force winds can be fairly easy to correct,” said Ward Upham, horticulturist with Kansas State University Research and Extension. “The storm has ripped a recent and probably costly tree transplant from the ground, exposing its roots to the drying air. The result looks like a violent, senseless waste of money -- one that also makes you sad.”
About half of the reason the transplant is on its side, however, is that its roots weren’t firmly settled into the soil yet, Upham said. So, if its above- and below-ground wood mostly seems to be okay, owners often can save their investment by pulling the tree back into place and replanting it within days.
Then they’ll need to stake the sapling for several years, to provide extra upright support.
“Unless it constitutes some kind of danger, though, don’t even worry about a well-established tree that’s been uprooted. It’s a goner,” Upham said. “Besides, unless you’re a trained, experienced arborist, you should never expose yourself to the hazards of trying to repair or remove big trees.
“The weight and falling force of a single mature tree branch can amount to literally thousands of pounds. And large trees can have lots of really big branches. Think about it.”
For homeowners with a damaged tree that still has roots in the ground, Upham offers this advice:
- If you see downed power lines or tree damage that does or could involve electrical lines, the only correct response is to keep your distance and call the power company.
- For all other wind-injured trees, judge whether they constitute an immediate hazard to people or property. In general, an immediate hazard is any unstable or insecure damage that could fairly easily become unsafe – dangerous. Common examples include dangling branches, precariously leaning trees, and broken-off branches that are loosely balanced in the tree’s canopy.
- If a tree rates as an immediate hazard, the first correct reaction is to omit closer inspections. Do not walk under the tree. Do not stand any place where gravity – with or without wind -- might direct its damaged part(s) to fall.
“I recommend that homeowners not attempt to deal with such hazards on their own, either, unless they can do so with a handsaw and both feet on the ground. That translates into an immature tree and a branch that’s no more than about 2 to 3 inches across,” Upham said. “The thing is: As soon as a repair job gets big enough to require a chainsaw or ladder, the risk involved becomes much, much greater – even for people with experience. You’ll need a local, reputable tree service.”
- Before attempting the smallest repair on your own, review or learn the rules of pruning safely – for yourself and for the tree’s future health. Any county or district Extension office can help with that. Other good information sources on the Web include an illustrated U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service booklet on pruning trees (http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm) and the K-State Research and Extension publication named “All About Pruning” (C-550), which also covers evergreen and shrub pruning (http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/c550.pdf).
- For damaged trees that aren’t a hazard for people or property, post-storm repair isn’t likely to be an emergency. With mature trees, in particular, you can afford to wait while an arborist works through more urgent jobs first. And, you can spend some of that time in judging whether a damaged tree has good odds for recovery or probably should leave your landscape.
“When you live in windy country, for example, you learn that some trees or tree species are so brittle that you’re always dealing with breakage,” Upham said. “So, if they’ve suffered quite a bit of injury this time ‘round, you might want to go ahead and get rid of a silver maple, Siberian elm or hackberry in order to make way for a more durable specimen of oak, ash or Caddo maple.” Two types of damage tend to make any tree species a likely candidate for removal, he added. One is a main trunk that has split. The other is trunk bark that has split, exposing the inner cambium layer (just under the bark, between bark and wood) and most likely ensuring the tree’s death.
Yet another reason to remove a tree is that the storm ruined its form by taking so many branches.
“Cutting back all the major branches to stubs – a process called topping out – will lead to new growth. But, the growth probably will end up looking like witches’ brooms, and it certainly won’t be as firmly attached,” the horticulturist said. “Producing those branches will take lots of energy, too – energy the tree may need to fight off disease and insects. So, the tree could die fairly soon anyway.”
Homeowners should discuss these judgment criteria with their arborist. If nothing else, the branch damage might not actually be as severe as it appears to an amateur, Upham said. Besides, vigorous trees that had yet to reach full maturity have sometimes lost between one-third and one-half of their crown and yet made a good comeback.
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http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/news/story/damaged_trees021109.aspx
Contacts: Ward Upham, 785-532-1438, wupham@ksu.edu
Kathleen Ward, kward@ksu.edu
