A serious storm can uproot trees, break tree trunks, break tree branches, or leave your trees flooded. However, not all trees that have suffered storm damage end up dying; some eventually recover. You need to know how to differentiate between trees that can be saved and those that cannot be saved and what you should do to save those that can be saved.
Determine the Extent of the Damage
After the storm, the first thing is to determine how damaged your trees are. In many cases, storm damage doesn't always lead to permanent tree damage. However, you shouldn't rely on guesswork to make your decision. If in doubt, get a professional tree care company to do the evaluation for you. This is especially useful if you have mature trees that you wouldn't want to remove, but can also cause serious injury or damage if you make a mistake with the evaluation.
Remove Dangerous or Damaged Trees
There are two main reasons you would want to remove a tree after a storm. First, you should remove trees that are damaged beyond repair. For example, if a mature tree's main trunk is broken, the chances of saving the tree are low, and the best thing to do is to remove the tree. Secondly, you should remove trees that are at risk of causing injury or damage. For example, a tree that is leaning dangerously towards the power lines or the house should be removed to avoid accidents.
Remove Damaged or Dangerous Branches
Even damaged trees don't have to be removed in their entirety. In some cases, you just have to remove the damaged or dangerous branch. For example, in a large tree with multiple branches, the severe damage to one branch doesn't spell doom for the whole tree. You can just remove the affected branch and let the rest of the tree survive.
Restore Whenever Possible
Depending on the extent of their damages, you may be able to save some of your trees after the storm. The size of the trees, tree species, nature of the damage, extent of the damage, and prevailing weather conditions, are some of the factors that determine the necessary restorative interventions. You may have to mulch the trees, apply fertilizer, trim the trees, stake the trees, or drain the floodwater.
A tree company can help you with all the above processes. That way, you don't risk removing trees that you can save, and you also don't risk injuries and damages to your house.
