Straight Talk About Storm Preparedness for Your Trees and Landscaping

In collaboration with Dr. Michael Orfanedes, Commercial Horticulture Agent IV

Storm season is now upon us. Are you ready?

Every year storms leave behind flooded homes, downed trees, and important damage, but we can be prepared for it. Whether you are a homeowner, renter, business owner, taking action now could save you a lot of time and money. Below are some important tips from UF/IFAS Broward County Extension:

Prune trees and shrubbery well in advance of a storm.

Do not leave branches or debris out in a storm as they could become projectiles. Overgrown or poorly maintained trees are one of the top causes of storm damage. Past storms have been the proof that high winds can cause trees to fall, damaging homes, blocking roads, and taking out powerlines.

Secure tools, toys, potted plants and outdoor furniture.

Trees that are structurally weak can break even during a light storm. This tree split because of poor structure.

What seems harmless on a calm day can become a dangerous projectile during the storm. High winds can launch even heavy objects into cars, windows, or neighboring properties. Bring in all loose items: plants, gardening tools, etc. Also, do not leave stacks of roof tiles anywhere outside your home. They too can become projectiles.

Make sure your tree pruning is done properly and according to code.

If you are going to hire the work done, make sure that you hire a tree trimmer who has liability insurance and carries a current, valid Broward County Tree Trimmer’s license. Know that many lawn services do not possess such qualifications, but should. In addition, to work legally in Broward County, a tree service must have a valid license, and people operating must possess the UF/IFAS Tree Trimming Certification issued at UF/IFAS Extension in Broward.

There are 67 counties in Florida. Broward County is the only one requiring a tree tree trimming license to trim, replace or remove trees in the area. However, we have Green Industry Professionals taking our courses from all over the State. Our courses are offered in English, Spanish, and Creole, and they are open not only to professionals, but also to homeowners, students, or anybody interested in the topic.

Here is the link to our classes: UF/IFAS Extension Broward – Comm Hort Events – 11 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite

Never top or hat-rack a tree.

It’s against code and will result in a violation notice. Large diameter stub cuts often do not heal and are prone to internal decay. Regrowth that sprouts out on decaying stubs may be weakly attached. When it becomes heavy, it may become hazardous and result in unanticipated, dangerous limb breakage.

Hat Racked Tree — Hat Racking a tree causes weak limb attachment that can be hazardous during storms.

Do not over lift or “lions-tail” a tree.

Removal of too much lower and inner canopy causes tip weighting and reduces limb girth, taper and strength. Such branches are more prone to snapping off in high winds.

An over-lifted tree becomes dangerous. — With no limbs and leaves in the lower 2/3 of the canopy, the center of gravity is lost, causing it to become likely to break in a storm, with no remediation possible because there are no lower limbs to cut back to.

Most tree damage from storms is due to two problems:

a.) poor structure, where weakly attached limbs and/or multiple trunks with bark trapped inside the crotch split apart or

b.) a poor root system which fails to adequately anchor the tree resulting in the tree leaning or blowing over.

Such conditions can be often corrected by seeking the services of a skilled arborist.

Structural weaknesses can be remedied by practicing structural pruning, as is being done by the association with our swale and common area trees. In this case, the trees are being trained to develop a strong, single dominant trunk and weakly attached limbs are being shortened or removed (see diagram and photo below).

Finally, after the storm, do not pile debris in common areas. Follow city or county instructions for managing storm-related debris.

For more information on proper pruning guidelines and local tree care code requirements visit Tree Preservation Proper Tree Care

For detailed UF/IFAS Extension information regarding pre- and post-storm tree care, please visit http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/pruning/

Broward County also offers an Hurricane Preparedness Guideline: https://www.broward.org/Hurricane/Documents/HurricanePreparednessGuide.pdf