Hurricane Resistant Tree Tips

The hurricane season ends on November 30, so it is good idea to revisit some tips that can help your landscape be more hurricane resistant when you are designing tree installation projects.

 

  • Right Tree, Right Place

Choose trees that fit well into the landscape. Plant large trees away from homes, power lines and other structures by at least 20-30 feet. This reduces the risk of branches (or trees) falling on a home. It also prevents them from damaging power lines. Large trees such as live oaks need both upward space and ground space (soil volume) to support the heavy tree structure.  The more rooting space trees have, the less likely they are to fail.

Figure 1. Live oaks growing in the street. Look the huge rooting space that they have, it is 20’ wide. Courtesy, H. Mayer
  • Choose Wind-resistant Species

Some trees are more resistant to hurricanes than others. Wind resistance is defined as a tree’s ability to survive (stay standing and alive) the effects of hurricane-force winds, meaning that they are not easily uprooted or broken by winds. For a complete list of wind resistance trees, visit the UF publication, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FR173

 

Figure 2. Canary and Sabal palms survive hurricane-wind forces. The Queen palm didn’t survive, Courtesy Dr. M. Duryea.
  • Regular Pruning and Maintenance

Assess your trees, paying close attention to branches. Check for branches that are weakly connected to the stem, such as co-dominant branches. Check the tree for hanging dead branches. Well pruned trees are going to survive better than poorly pruned or unpruned trees. Begin a preventive pruning program as soon as possible for trees.

 

Figure 3. Trees that had been pruned properly (not topped and with more open and well-distributed crowns) survived high winds better than unpruned trees, Courtesy of M. Duryea.
Figure 3. Trees that had been pruned properly (not topped and with more open and well-distributed crowns) survived high winds better than unpruned trees, Courtesy of M. Duryea.
  • Planting in Groups or Masses

If you have enough space, plant trees in groups. Trees in groups survive better than trees growing individually. A group is defined as five or more trees growing within ten feet of another tree, but not in a row. Trees protect each other as well as your property.

 

Figure 4. Plant trees in groups of at least 5 trees as opposed to individually, Courtesy M. Duryea.

 

Figure 5. Individual planting in a street due to soil volume restrictions, Courtesy, H. Mayer

Resources

University of Florida Trees and Hurricanes

https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/treesandhurricanes/

NOAA Hurricane preparedness

https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep

FEMA Ready

https://www.ready.gov/

National Hurricane Center

https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Turf Magazine

Hurricane Resistant Landscaping Tips – Turf Magazine

 

 

 

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Posted: September 30, 2024


Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Lawn, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Hurricanes, Landscape, Tree Resilience, Tree Survivability, Trees, Trees And Wind


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