Tree Images
Figure 2
A rotten inner core in the trunk or structural weakness in branching patterns can cause a split trunk — the tree equivalent of a heart attack. The wounds are too large to ever mend, and the tree has lost its sap lifeline between roots and leaves. This tree is all but dead.
Storm Damaged Tree Options: 1. Keep It
If damage is relatively slight, prune the broken branches, repair torn bark or rough edges around wounds, and let the tree begin the process of wound repair. A mature shade tree can usually survive the loss of one major limb. The broken branch should be pruned back to the trunk. In the following months, large wounds should be monitored closely for signs of decay. Young trees can sustain quite a bit of damage and still recover quickly. If the leader is intact and the structure for future branching remains, remove the broken branches and let the tree close over the wounds and recover itself.
Storm Damaged Tree Options: 2. Wait & See
Resist the temptation to simply cut down the tree and be done with it. Wait a while and think it over. Remember, time is on your side. Carefully prune broken branches. Then, give the tree some time to recover. You can make a final decision later. Also resist the temptation to prune too heavily. The tree will need all the foliage it can produce to survive the next growing season. Remove only the damaged limbs, then wait and see how the tree does. For large trees, a professional arborist should be brought in to assess damage on a borderline situation and to safely accomplish needed pruning and branch removal.
Storm Damaged Tree Options: 3. Replace it
Some trees simply can’t be saved or are not worth saving. If the tree has already been weakened by disease, the trunk is split, or more than 50 percent of the crown is gone, the tree has lost its survival edge (Figures 2 and 3).
