Every year, homeowners are killed or property is damaged as a result of fallen trees or limbs. While the National Weather Service does not keep statistics on deaths caused by trees, stories pop up in the news every year after storms of those who had a tree (or limb) fall on their home or vehicle.
The majority of the time, trees fall as a result of a storm. This could be wind-related, lightning damage during a thunderstorm, or even the weight of snow and ice piling on a tree during a winter storm.
For this reason, tree removal as a means of storm damage protection makes a lot of sense.
As much as we absolutely love trees and want to do everything that we can to protect them, if trees are posing any sort of liability on your Louisville, KY property, it might make sense to have them safely removed.
Let’s look at a few important considerations if you’re worried about how your trees will fare in a storm.
If you have valuable trees on your property that you really don’t want to lose, you might be wondering if there is a way to protect them from storm damage.
Sometimes, there are proactive steps that we can take which will help.
For instance, cabling and bracing is a tree service that can help protect a property from storm damage without tree removal. Some trees, due to the way that they grow, already have structural damage that makes them weaker and more likely to fall in a storm. Certain species of trees grow in a way that they become V-shaped, which makes them a liability for cracking and splitting.
Trees that have structural defects like this can sometimes benefit from tree cabling and bracing. This involves installing cables and steel rods into the tree to provide support.
In addition, sometimes we can perform tree pruning to protect a property from storm damage. When a tree is properly pruned and not as top-heavy, it’s at less risk of losing limbs from a storm (or toppling over entirely).
Pruning also removes diseased, dying, or dead limbs, which would be the ones most likely to fall during a storm anyway. These weakened limbs simply won’t be able to withstand extreme conditions like wind.
Making sure that you are keeping up with regular pruning can be a valuable way to make your trees more “storm-safe.”
But we also understand that accidents sometimes just happen. An accident like a lightning strike is often just “random” and there’s no preventing the danger from that. For this reason, some people just prefer tree removal for peace of mind.
We’ll talk about that next.
As much as you love your trees, sometimes tree removal is the safest option.
A tree’s location is a significant factor in potential removal. If you have a large tree that is directly next to your home or a limb hanging directly over a roof, you might be more inclined to have this tree removed (as opposed to one further away on your property).
We understand that concern. Even if a tree is structurally sound right now, you never know what could happen during a storm. Any storm with high winds, lightning, or other extreme conditions can suddenly make your tree a danger.
Removing trees as a means of protecting your property from storm damage can be a difficult decision. But having a tree care professional assess your trees and provide recommendations can help make that decision easier.
At the end of the day, your peace of mind is valuable. If you feel anxiety every time that it storms, you might simply feel better having that tree removed. Here at Limbwalker, we certainly understand that point of view. You want to do everything that you can to keep your loved ones safe, and we’re here to help.
If you’re reading this article because your tree was already damaged by a storm, we want to also issue a word of caution that post-storm tree and limb removal is a job best left to the pros.
Statistics show that more people are usually killed during storm clean-up than during storms. That’s because storm-damaged trees are dangerous. Hanging branches or a weakened tree can suddenly fall during your attempt to clean up the damage.
It’s important to call in a skilled and highly qualified professional to deal with tree damage and storm clean-up. Because a tree might be at an increased risk of falling in the immediate aftermath of a storm, you want to make sure that it is removed in a safe way.
We have said it before and we can’t emphasize it enough. Tree removal is intense and complicated work. That’s true even when there hasn’t been any damage. But when there is present damage, that risk is even more severe. It’s important to work with a qualified company that will take all of the necessary safety precautions to mitigate any additional risk.
Storms can be scary, particularly if you have a lot of trees on your property. But with a tree care professional on your side, you don’t have to worry.
A tree care expert can help you determine whether trees should be removed or what else might be able to be done to protect your Louisville property.
In many cases, this is a matter of peace of mind. Not knowing whether or not to remove trees can be stressful. But with a trusted tree care professional helping you make the best decisions for your property, you can let go of those worries and rely on their expertise.
You’ll rest much more easily the next time it storms.
If you’d like to learn more about tree services for your Louisville home, get in touch, get your quote, and get back to enjoying your yard.
