Ice and snow storms and or wind events have damaged your landscape trees and shrubs. What is the best thing you can do for them now? Should you do anything? Will they ever be the same or should you remove them?
These are the questions repeated every year somewhere in someone's yard and garden. While the first step is usually to request a site visit from a professional arborist or horticulturalist, in many cases storm damage presents an opportunity to learn something about the way trees and shrubs react and recover to heavy loads. An opportunity to build a stronger plant or to help prevent future damage to the plants that remain.
The first consideration after a damaging storm is to evaluate existing and potential hazards. With large trees, the advice of a qualified arborist is critical to the safety of you and your property. Broken or bent trees and limbs can hold a lot of energy that when released by cutting or ice removal can cause severe injury. The danger inherent in removing limbs high in the tree canopy should be obvious to non professonals. Only experienced professional tree climbers should attempt this. This is also the most important time to ask for proof of insurance from your contractor.
Most trees and shrubs can be repaired after moderate to severe storm damage! Few people in the landscape business believe this but its true. With careful analysis and pruning even heavily damaged crowns can be pruned in such a way as to set the stage for recovery of a structurally improved plant. Often the most important thing is to not remove too much. The next most important step is to plan for the timely management of the new sprouts that will be produced in the coming growth seasons. Late spring is actually the best time to begin repair and restoration pruning in New England. Trees and shrubs have a lot of stored energy at this time that can be redirected with the right care.
The expert(s) you choose should be able to provide plant specific recommendations or options for plant care after storm damage and pruning. Fertilization, insect or disease monitoring and control or irrigation may be recommended depending on the needs of each case. Sometimes it is up to the property owner to balance the costs of plant care with the relative plant value or replacement cost. This is also advice that an honest expert can provide. Our arborists and horticulturalists have decades of experience in plant health care and tree pruning and removal. We also have extensive training and practice in the field of tree and landscape valuation for loss, trespass or insurance needs. Please refer to the consulting services page or use the contact link to request a free initial consultation. More information about Ice Storm Recovery can be found at www.arborday.org/media/stormrecovery or your local university extension website.