Tree Pruning- Tips for Portlanders to Prevent Storm Damage

Tree Pruning- Tips for Portlanders to Prevent Storm Damage

Here in Portland Oregon, with our winter months, comes the possibility of adverse weather patterns. The combination of moisture, wind, and/or freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on Portland's trees. Trees in Portland have the disadvantage in many cases of standing alone and not in groves that would protect the tree when weather turns extreme. In addition, trees in Portland often have the added risk of being over or near structures, streets, and walk ways. These factors create a significant incentive to insure Portland's trees will withstand even unique and infrequent weather patterns such as snow, wind, and ice. To help our trees meet the challenges posed by city life and winter weather there is several things home owners can do.

The first steps to storm damage prevention are the do-it-yourself items. Home owners should do a visual inspection of their trees at least every fall/winter. They should get an idea of the look, condition, and branching pattern of the tree so that they can detect changes in the tree from year to year. If the home owners notice a change in the tree they should call their arborist. Home owners should also take a look at the roots of their tree. Proper drainage is essential for storm damage prevention. If the soil around the tree is overly soggy or water is pooling at the base of the tree home owners need to take action to correct those drainage issues. If the home owner believes these drainage issues have existed for an extended period of time correcting them might not be enough. They should bring in an arborist to assess the condition of the roots to see if the damage done is irreversible.

Next, and the single most important, step Portland home owners can take to prevent storm damage is regular pruning by a certified arborist. Regular pruning can be as much as every year and as far and few between as once every 10 years. The cost of regular pruning also varies widely based on the type, size, condition, and location of the tree. If you have mature trees in your landscape a portion of your home maintenance budget should be going to pruning your trees. An arborist can help you get an idea of what maintenance is needed and which items are most urgent. The basic process of pruning a tree for storm damage prevention includes clearing branches from roofs and buildings, lowing branch weight at the ends of the branches where needed, increasing air space between branches where needed, therefore, creating space for the wind to travel through the tree, and removing dead, diseased, & damaged limbs. Large conifers which are prevalent in our area are the most susceptible to winter storm damage and benefit the most from the pruning techniques used.

If a customer has the means it may make sense in certain situations to take further steps to prevent storm damage such as deep root fertilization, disease inoculation, storm conscience landscape planning, and tree cabling. Tree cabling is an inexpensive service that can provide a great benefit to home owners with trees over structures.

It is important when hiring an arborist that you do your due diligence. This is because techniques used to prune trees that were once accepted have been proven to be detrimental to trees and even increase the chances of damage during a storm. It is better to hire a certified arborist trained in the latest techniques, even if that means delaying the service while funds are budgeted, then to hire someone who may do irreparable damage to your trees. For a free estimate on services to prevent storm damage to your trees visit www.urbanforestprossionals.com

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