Helping Trees Recover After Storms

Storms can leave behind toppled trees and downed branches which cause power outages and damage to people and structures. In the wake of a storm, it is often easy to "blame it on the trees." This often results in more damage being done to surviving trees.  Following storms, a dramatic increase in poor maintenance and pruning occurs, such as tree topping.  People think that topping a tree will keep it from failing in the next storm (making it smaller and safer). In the long run, the opposite is true.  Improper pruning, such as topping, rounding-over, or heading back leads to internal decay and the weakening of tree structure. This decay will result in both future storm damage and more costs to you as the tree starts to fall apart in your yard.

Topping a tree opens it up to internal decay and future storm damage

How can you begin to repair storm damage done to your trees? Safety is the first concern for everyone. Absolutely avoid power lines (even if the power is off), be aware of broken limbs hanging in trees, and stay away from unbalanced trees that have failed. Never work near a utility line.  If you have a tree or branch affecting a utility line, call the local utility company and wait for them to make the repairs or clear the lines. Each year, people are killed or severely injured trying to prune limbs or remove dead trees damaged by storms. Often these limbs and trees are unbalanced and under extreme weight and force not apparent to inexperienced individuals. Like mouse traps, ready to spring closed, disturbing these damaged trees or limbs can result in them falling, potentially causing injury or death to the inexperienced person.

It is important to contact a qualified arborist to remove limbs or trees damaged by storms. Ask or look for ISA Certified Arborist.  Certified Arborists have trained and passed a comprehensive exam measuring their knowledge of tree care. Be aware that after a storm it is common for people to claim to be “tree specialists." Unfortunately, these people take advantage of the situation with little training and no insurance. They often do more harm than good at unfair prices.

Finding a qualified arborist after a storm can be hard. When one does arrive, ask a few questions. How will you prune the tree? They should mention that they will prune according to the ANSI A300 National Standards.  Ask if they are a member of a professional society such as the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) or if they are an ISA Certified Arborist. The best arborists are both. Can you provide me with a certificate of insurance? A qualified arborist can provide proof of insurance.

Sometimes it is important to be patient. If the tree does not represent an immediate hazard, take time to find and hire a qualified arborist to access the tree for risk and then repair the damage.  Be a smart consumer and protect your trees. Sometimes it is good to get a second opinion from another qualified arborist before removing a tree or performing work that might not seem proper. Before you fire-up the chainsaw or hire a tree-topper or fly-by night, uninsured contractor, contact the local Penn State Extension Office in your county for some advice and information on proper tree pruning. You can also visit the ISA Trees are Good website and use the zip code search engine to find an ISA Certified Arborist in your area.  The National Arbor Day Foundation and  USDA Forest Service also have resources to help you understand how to repair storm damaged trees. 

Once of the best ways to prevent storm damage is to be proactive and hire an ISA Certified Arborist to evaluate the structure and condition of your trees. Consider having a TRAQ trained and qualified arborist conduct a risk assessment for any of your large trees.  Another good way to prevent storm damage is to have a trained arborist perform routine maintenance such as structural pruning and deadwood removal to prevent weak or dead limbs from falling out of the tree.

In the end, consider replanting new trees to replace the ones that were damaged and removed. Make sure you evaluate the site for growing space and conditions before you select a tree from a nursery. Try to maximize the ecological services (or benefits) provided by the new trees by selecting large canopy trees when there is room for them to grow.   When cared for, a newly planted tree will start to provide lots of benefits such as shade, beauty, cooling, stormwater reduction, and energy conservation within a few short years. 

Codominant Stems are weakly attached and often break in storms with high winds