Protect trees from summer storm damage
Many trees fell victim to the recent derecho winds.
BLACKSBURG, Va., July 17, 2012 –
Recent storms wreaked havoc upon trees across a wide swath of Virginia
and other eastern states. While there is little landowners can do to
avoid damage from a 70 to 80 mph wind, thoughtful planting and routine
maintenance can go a long way toward protecting your trees from the
average storm, says Virginia Tech
College of Natural Resources and Environment Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Eric Wiseman.
“Mindful
planting of the right trees in the right places and correct routine
pruning can help you avoid tree damage from summer storms,” says
Wiseman, who specializes in urban forestry and arboriculture in the
Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation.
Property
owners should be discriminating when planting or retaining trees on
their property. Most oaks are “well-behaved,” Wiseman notes. They are
slow-growing trees known for strong wood, with less tendency to develop
co-dominant leaders, an unstable condition of multiple main trunks.
Besides oaks, Wiseman recommends hickory, fruitless sweetgum, beech, and
blackgum as storm-tolerant lawn trees.
He advises against
landscape plantings of silver maples, willows, ashes, white pines, and
loblolly pines, as well as the notoriously fracture-prone Bradford pear.
These faster growing trees tend to be weak-wooded and decay-prone, he
explains.
Even the right tree can be easily uprooted if not
planted properly. Selecting a tree with a well-developed root system and
planting it at the correct depth is crucial to the tree’s longevity.
“You get what you pay for,” he warns, “so buy your tree from a reputable nursery.”
Trees
need routine maintenance, particularly during their “adolescent years,”
Wiseman says. Periodic pruning improves a tree’s structure by removing
dead and defective branches, such as multiple leaders or trunks and weak
branch attachments with embedded bark. Both of these conditions make
trees susceptible to storm damage.
Topping, or indiscriminate
reduction of tree height, is not an appropriate pruning practice. In
fact, topping will likely weaken the tree in the long run. When pruning
alone cannot remedy a structural issue, a professional tree service can
sometimes install cables or bracing to support weak branches.
Signs
that a tree is in trouble include cracks, cavities, decay, dead limbs,
and sometimes mushrooms at its base. Recent excavation beneath the tree
damages its roots, which in turn weakens the tree, increasing its
susceptibility to decay, pests, and wind damage.
Wiseman
recommends calling in an arborist for evaluation and tasks related to
tree health and safety. The person who cuts your grass and trims your
shrubs may give tree advice, but may not have an arboriculture (tree
care) background. An arborist can detect the signs and has tools to help
with the detection of root problems.
“Some landscapers are also
arborists, but most aren’t,” Wiseman says. “Virginia has no
certification requirement for arborists, so look for someone certified
by the International Society of Arborists. Tree service companies
accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association are also well
qualified.”
Even the best trees are put to test during high
derecho winds like those experienced June 29. Under these conditions,
it’s impossible to absolutely avoid tree problems.
“The only thing
you can do to eliminate tree problems is to get rid of all trees, but
that’s not a good idea,” Wiseman says. “Trees reduce cooling and heating
costs in homes, mitigate air pollution, protect water quality, and have
aesthetic value.”
The
College of Natural Resources and Environment
at Virginia Tech consistently ranks among the top three programs of its
kind in the nation. Faculty members stress both the technical and human
elements of natural resources and the environment, and instill in
students a sense of stewardship, land-use ethics, and large-scale
problem solving. As a land-grant university, Virginia Tech serves the
Commonwealth of Virginia in teaching, research, and
Virginia Cooperative Extension.
