First Aid for Trees Before and After a Storm

Trees can provide many benefits including shade, improved air quality, they prevent flooding and help reduce the cost of utilities. To get the maximum benefits from the trees in your property can provide, they need proper maintenance and adequate care. When you have a healthy tree, it will able to withstand the weather like a storm and strong winds, whereas with weaker trees can cause some parts or even an entire tree to fall and break apart. To prevent this from happening, you need to protect and prepare your trees, specially before a storm.

After a big storm, there might be some damaged trees but, in most cases, you can still save them with proper treatment.

Here are some tips on how you can take care of your trees before and after a storm for you enjoy the maximum benefits, they can give you.

How to prepare your trees before a storm

Homeowners often overlook their trees when preparing for a coming storm but it is essential to safeguard your trees to ensure that it will not cause any damage to your property.

• Inspect all the trees in your property

You should begin your preparation by looking around and checking the condition of the trees. Inspect the roots, barks, trunks, canopies, and branches. Make sure that there are no damages that could possible compromise the tree like root rot, leaning trunks, bare foliage, and weak branches. You should also note if there are signs of insect infestations. If you find anything that needs more attention, you should get in touch with a tree surgery company so they can do a professional inspection.

• Pruning your trees

Trees should be regularly pruned to lessen their wind resistance during a storm. It will also reduce the possible damage caused by trees to your home in cases of a storm because it can remove the branches close to your house. To avoid multiple growths on your trees, you need to cut the low-lying branches of your young trees as this can make the tree unstable.

• Preserve the root structure

Aside from pruning, you should also check the roots of the trees. It is essential that they are not disturbed especially when putting the irrigation system. This activity often damages the root zones that weaken the trees. During planting, you need to untangle the roots for it to spread out and anchor the tree properly.

• Take care of the trees all year-round

You need to take care of your trees all-year round to keep them healthy. Taking care of your tree is the best way to protect them from damages during strong winds or a storm. Certain trees need special care, and a tree surgeon is the most qualified person to do that and keep them in top condition at all times.

First Aid for Trees after a Storm

If you provide the right care, even damaged trees can still have a chance to survive. Here are some tips on what you can to your trees in the event of them being damaged due to severe weather conditions.

• Take proper safety precautions

When doing an initial assessment on the damages to your yard, you have to be cautious about hanging branches that are ready to fall. Never go under broken limbs hanging or tangled with other branches above you. And even if you know your way around a chainsaw, in these dangerous situations you need to leave it for the professionals to handle.

• Remove broken branches that are still attached to the tree

The best thing that you can do after the storm is to remove the jagged parts remaining from small branches. When this job is done correctly, you can eliminate the chances for decay agents to enter the tree wound. It should be cut from the point it joins the larger limb.

• Call for a professional tree surgeon to administer first aid

If there are large limbs that are broken and damaged, or if it requires climbing and using an overhead chainsaw, you need to call a professional for help. A tree surgeon has the necessary skills and equipment to cut down the damaged parts properly.

• Repair the torn bark

You can improve the appearance of the tree and remove the possible nests for insects by carefully using a chisel to smoothen the rugged remains of the wounds where the bark was removed forcefully. You must be careful in doing this and avoid exposing the greenish part of the inner bark. This is the lifeline of the trees and very important for them.

• Do not over prune

You might be worried about the appearance of your tree and try to balance the growth. The tree can heal itself faster than you taught and in due time it will have its foliage and natural beauty again.

• Do not top the tree

Untrained individuals may decide to cut all the branches. This will do more damage to the tree and kill it. In case that the tree will survive, it will grow weak branches that are likely to break in the succeeding storms. Not to mention that you will be depriving the tree of its nourishment of the foliage that it needs to regrow.

If you are unsure on how to provide the right first-aid to your trees before and after the storm, the best course of action is to call for a professional tree surgery company like Grasshopper Services.