Are your trees ready for Hurricane Season?

As we approach the 27th Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew it gives me pause that there is a whole generation of first time home owners who may not realize how important it is to invest in preparing their trees.

Within the last 3-weeks, following a few fast moving late afternoon and early evening storms, I dealt with over 20 phone calls to assess and deal with downed trees and large broken branches. The results of which caused serious property damage (screen enclosures, roof tiles, fences, cars and boats). All of these trees appeared to have been neglected in terms of maintenance pruning.

For those who experienced Hurricane Irma almost 2-years ago now, they only had a minor taste of what the extent of tree damage can be. Irma, a Category 2 to 3 between the Keys and Miami-Dade/Broward was a good example of how a relatively slow moving but wet Hurricane can leave a path of tree destruction. Thousands of trees were down. Most by virtue of ground –saturation, resulting in compromised “anchoring” roots and giving way to the almost 24-hours of high-wind.

For too many people trees are not a priority when it comes to storm season readiness. Most of what fills the average storm preparation list consists of life support items, like water, food, medicines and also  items of convenience like batteries, flashlights, a manual can opener, Etc.  Trees are easily overlooked, can be considered costly to prepare and many people just do not acknowledge the risk they can pose. The fact is, with a minimal amount of “professional” tree care every few years, the risk of tree failure can be reduced dramatically. No doubt, the cost in preventative maintenance will be substantially less than the cost of post-storm tree clean-up and the associated roof and property damage.

A professional, Certified Arborist should be your choice for assessing your trees and determining what should be done to reduce the risk of branch failure and entire tree failure. Although well intentioned in most cases, your gardener or lawn/landscaper has not been trained nor educated in tree structure or bio-mechanics, not to mention not insured for such work. Following strict safety standards and being properly equipped is essential. Sadly, in just the past few years several lawn maintenance workers have been electrocuted while trimming trees. Do your trees a favor by having them professionally prepared and your return on investment will be well worth it.

Rick can be reached at One Two Tree (305) 267-1426 or via email at customerservice@onetwotree.com or visit our website at https://www.onetwotree.com/


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