Tchukki Andersen, board certified master arborist and certified treecare safety professional with the Tree Care Industry Association, is reminding people during hurricane season to prepare their trees to survive storms.
"It is important that people who live in the east and gulf coastal areas be prepared," he said. “Even people in the midwestern states should heed the warning. Right now, get your trees as ready as they can be to survive a major storm. Don't wait until the storm is headed your way.”
Andersen explained that falling trees and limbs pose a great danger to life and properties during violent storms and hurricanes. As a result, he advises people to prepare now by contacting a qualified tree care provider to evaluate their trees.
According to Andersen and the Tree Care Industry Association, the following should be considered when evaluating trees.
•Wires in contact with tree branches…trees may become energized when they are contacted by electric wires.
•Dead or partially attached limbs stuck in higher branches that could fall and cause damage or injury
•Cracked stems and branch unions that could cause failure of a tree section
•Hollow or decayed areas in the trunk or main limbs, or mushrooms growing from the bark that may indicate a decayed and weakened stem
•Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk that could also indicate structural weakness
•Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees beneath them
•Tight, V-shaped branch unions, which are much more prone to failure than open, U-shaped unions
•Heaving soil at the tree base, which is a potential indicator of an unsound root system
To find a tree care provider in your area, call 1-800-733-2622 or conduct a ZIP code search on www.treecaretips.org.
