What To Do When A Seattle Winter Storm Has Damaged Your Tree | Sound Tree Care
What To Do When A Seattle Winter Storm Has Damaged Your Tree
How to know if you can save your damaged tree and what to do.
Winters in Seattle can wreak havoc on your trees. Strong winds, ice, freezing rain, and pacific winter storms can seriously damage your beautiful trees.
When a severe Seattle winter storm leaves your mature trees tattered and torn in its wake,
do not attempt to repair the damage on your own for your safety.
Have a local arborist and trusted tree care company assess the damage once the storm has passed. They have the equipment and experience to determine if your tree can be saved and what to do. If your tree cannot be saved, they can remove it safely, so your home or business doesn’t experience any more damage.
Depending on the extent of the damage and the size of the tree, there are a few things you can do to give your it the support they need while waiting for the tree care specialists to arrive.
How To Help Your Storm-Damaged Trees
1. Brace and support any cracked branches.
If cracked branches are within reach, you can place support underneath them to hold them up and prevent them from breaking off completely.
2. Cut off any severely broken branches just above a growth nodule or just above the collar.
If your young tree has lifted out of the soil, replant it, add more soil, and create a triangular support system around it.
Read our article on bracing young trees for detailed instructions.
3. Clear the area and stanchion it off if your large trees are leaning or have fallen.
If you have trees that are leaning severely or have fallen, clear the area around them of any vehicles, structures, and rope or tape of the area around them. Keep any pets inside or tied up far away from the tree.
4. Don’t get out the chainsaw and chop down your tree unless it’s already fallen to the ground.
Call a tree care company immediately if your tree has hit your home or another structure. They have the skills and equipment to safely remove your fallen tree and clear it quickly so you can make any necessary repairs.
While it can be tempting to run out during a Seattle winter storm to save your trees, DON’T.
Wait until the storm has passed to assess and make emergency repairs to your damaged trees.
Sound Tree Care offers emergency tree services in the SeaTac and Seattle, Washington area We have extensive experience helping homeowners after a Seattle winter storm has damaged or destroyed their trees. As a
city-approved tree service provider, you can rest assured that we will do whatever we can to save your trees and safely remove them if necessary.
How Can I Prepare Trees For A Seattle Winter Storm?
While we can’t always
save our trees after a storm, there are some things we can do to protect young trees and shrubs from the wind, snow, and freezing rain to give them a fighting chance.
Although we can’t prevent a storm, we can prepare for one. You can find valuable tips in a 2019 Seattle Times
article
on
preparing your trees for a winter storm
and watching the
weather, so you
have time to make those preparations before the severe weather strikes.
Sound Tree Care is a top-rated, licensed tree care company with a certified arborist on staff serving SeaTac, Seattle, and the surrounding communities. Approved by the City of Seattle and Burien, our tree care specialists can help you keep your trees healthy and strong with regular tree pruning, preventative maintenance, removal, and disease treatment services.
