One of the most common reasons homeowners call a local tree service company in the winter is because their property's trees have suffered storm damage.
Not only do violent storms cause damage to trees but so do less-violent ice storms.
As the ice slowly builds upon a tree it adds more and more weight to the branches. Eventually, a branch gets too heavy and breaks off. As a branch is falling it can take other branches down with it causing even more damage to the tree. And, if your car or home is below the falling branch, it can cause expensive damage to that as well.
Thankfully, there are things you can do to proactively promote healthy trees even when you live in an area with frequent winter ice storms, including:
Understand What Leads to Ice Storm Tree Damage
It is important to note that it is never a given that your trees will be damaged in an ice storm. If your trees are in good health, pruned and shaped correctly, and have balanced crown growth, then they very well may come through a storm completely unharmed.
However, there are many things that could lead to future ice storm damage, such as:
- diseased or dead branches
- a lopsided or broad crown
- excessively long or thin side branches
Trees shaped like Christmas trees have small crowns and branches that get progressively bigger as you move down the trunk. This makes them much better able to handle the weight of ice than trees with a rounder shape.
Trees such as American elms grow many feet each year. In just a few years, they have very long branches sticking out in all directions. The round shape of the tree makes it prone to ice storm damage because the branches get too heavy and gravity brings them down.
Always Plant Ice-Resistant Tree Species
Finally, if you plant any new trees on your property in the future, make sure they are ice-resistant tree species. By being proactive and planting trees that aren't susceptible to damage from ice storms you will save yourself a lot of storm damage costs and headaches.
Determining the best type of tree for your location and weather is something your local tree service company can help you with. They have the advantage of providing their services in your local for other homeowners and can give you realistic expectations for tree species you are interested in growing.
For more information, visit a site like https://www.hodgsontreeservice.com/.
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