Most homeowners in Spring Hill don’t think about their trees until something happens. A branch comes down in a thunderstorm, a neighbor mentions a tree that’s been leaning, or they look out the window one morning and realize the oak that’s been there for twenty years doesn’t look quite right. By then storm season is already underway and the window for dealing with it on your own terms has closed.
Knowing what to look for before hurricane season starts is a lot more useful than figuring it out after a storm has already made the decision for you.
Start With the Trees That Are Closest to Your House
The trees that matter most going into hurricane season are the ones that can cause damage if something goes wrong. That means the trees near your roof, your pool cage, your fence line and any structure on your property. A tree in the middle of an open yard with nothing around it is a much lower priority than a tree that’s positioned where it could hit something if it came down.
Walk your property and look at each tree that’s within striking distance of a structure. Think about what would happen if that tree came down or lost a major limb in a storm. If the answer involves your roof, your pool cage or your neighbor’s property, that tree deserves a closer look before June.
Signs a Tree Isn’t Ready for Hurricane Season
There are specific things to look for when you’re assessing your trees before storm season. None of them require any expertise. You’re just looking at the tree and asking honest questions about what you see.
Dead wood in the canopy is one of the clearest signs. Dead branches don’t flex in the wind the way living branches do. They snap. A tree with significant dead wood scattered through the canopy is going to lose those branches in a storm. The question is just where they land.
A lean that’s gotten more noticeable over the past year or two is worth paying attention to. A slight lean that’s been there for decades and hasn’t changed is different from a lean that’s developed or increased recently. The second one points to something happening with the root system that needs to be looked at.
Bark that’s peeling away from the trunk in large sections, soft spots in the wood, fungal growth at the base of the tree or large cracks where major limbs meet the trunk are all signs of structural problems that become serious liabilities in high wind.
Branches that are hanging directly over your roof or pool cage are a storm risk regardless of how healthy the rest of the tree looks. A branch doesn’t need to be dead or damaged to cause damage when a storm pushes it hard enough.
What a Dense Canopy Means for Storm Season
A tree with an overgrown, dense canopy takes on significantly more wind load in a storm than a properly maintained tree. The canopy fills with air and the trunk and root system have to absorb all of that force. In Spring Hill where the soil is often sandy and root systems don’t always have the depth and anchor they would in other conditions, that load can bring a tree down even when the trunk looks completely fine from the outside.
If you look at one of your trees and the canopy feels heavy and thick, that’s worth having someone look at before storm season. Thinning it out doesn’t mean cutting everything back as far as possible. It means removing the right weight in the right places so the tree handles wind better without being damaged by over-trimming.
The Trees You Should Be Most Concerned About
Dead or dying trees are the highest priority every time. A dead tree doesn’t bend in the wind. The internal structure is already compromised and high wind doesn’t need a direct hit to bring it down. If you have a dead tree anywhere near a structure it needs to come down before storm season, not after.
Trees with significant structural damage from previous storms are the next priority. A tree that split, shifted or lost major limbs in a past storm may look like it recovered but the underlying structure isn’t what it was. These trees can fail in storms that a healthy tree would handle without any problem.
Large trees that are very close to your house and have been growing toward it are worth having assessed even if they look healthy. A healthy tree in the wrong position is still a risk if something goes wrong during a storm.
When To Get Someone Out To Look
The best time to have your trees assessed before hurricane season in Spring Hill is now. Not in May when everyone else is also trying to get it done. Not in June when storm season has already started. Now, while there’s still time to deal with whatever comes up without rushing.
If you’re not sure whether a tree is a problem or you just want someone to walk the property and give you an honest assessment, that’s exactly what a tree inspection before storm season is for.
Hurricane season tree prep starts with a free estimate from Spring Hill Tree Specialists. We serve all of Spring Hill and surrounding areas.