Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, but in the Houston area, we typically aren’t in storm prep mode until August. Taking good care of your trees year-round is always a good idea. Keeping trees healthy is the best way to protect them from damage during storms, and to protect your home. Getting a jump on tree trimming now means that you will be better protected against unaccepted severe storms long before the warnings for Hurricanes begin to fill our news feeds. Now is the time to trim trees!
Professional tree trimming or pruning helps make trees more stable and stronger as well as healthier, all of which makes them more competent in the face of strong winds. We all know that the winds accompanying hurricanes are nothing less than savage, but trimming makes our trees fierce competitors against them. Also, when you prune or trim trees well before the hurricane season launches, you give them enough time to heal from the wounds. It is possible for the trees to sustain minor damages from the pruning process, but they recover from those in time. Delaying the tree trimming procedure and saving it till the eleventh hour will leave your trees more vulnerable and weaker. This is why we strongly urge you to proactively prune your trees and give them sufficient time to replenish the energy they will lose during the tree pruning process.
One of the most important reasons for trimming trees is eliminating all the broken branches that could easily become safety hazards during strong winds and heavy rains. Many trees tend to have dense foliage, making it difficult to spot all the broken or damaged branches high up. The main concern is larger dead wood, generally greater than 2” in diameter. These larger branches can be dangerous inside the tree canopies that could wreak havoc during a rainstorm. Removing the larger dead, broken, and potentially dangerous tree limbs well before the storm will be an added layer of protection. Living in a region where frequent hurricane cycles each year, we are all aware of how deadly these stray branches can become.
Another thing that tree pruning can do to help your tree is to reveal problems that you didn’t know were there. This could be things like tree stresses, which can require bracing and cabling to help the tree be stabilized. Without having the tree pruned, an owner of a commercial property or a homeowner might not know that the tree is unstable until it’s destroyed or damaged during hurricanes. Additionally, pruning your trees can help with identifying insect infestations or tree diseases which can weaken your tree and increase its likelihood to fall over when a hurricane or bad storm comes. If it’s caught in enough time, a Certified Arborist might be able to treat the insect infestation or tree disease so that your tree has a better chance to survive.
The key to minimizing the risk of property damage is proactive storm preparedness which includes tree trimming and pruning. While there is no such thing as a storm- or hurricane-proof landscape, regular tree trimming, and maintenance by a professional tree care company can help make trees more resistant to storm damage. Our team of certified arborists is here to help prepare your commercial property or home, in the best way possible, for potential storms and hurricanes. Schedule your tree evaluation today!
