The collective value that trees add to private property in the United States is more than $31.5 billion annually, according to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Some of these benefits include lowering neighborhood temperatures, increasing home values, lowering crime rates, and fostering wildlife habitat. If you have trees on your property, it is important to take steps to ensure that they are able to thrive and continue offering their undeniable benefits. In this blog post, we will highlight how to avoid tree damage on your property through a range of practical steps. These include regular pruning, monitoring of trees for disease, proactively removing dead or weak trees, and preparing trees for stormy weather.
Practice Regular Pruning
Properly caring for trees helps to minimize the risks that a homeowner faces. For example, tree branches that overhang a property’s roof or power lines can result in serious damage. Therefore, it is essential that trees are regularly pruned or trimmed.
Both pruning and trimming trees are important aspects of tree ownership. In the case of larger trees, it is recommended that you leave this work to professionals who have the necessary equipment, experience, and know-how. For smaller trees, homeowners can oversee pruning themselves.
Remember, trees that are properly pruned are healthy trees, and healthy trees are safe trees. Trees with damaged or weak limbs can suddenly snap off without warning, posing a risk to both people and property. Keep a close eye on any tree branches that grow close to a property or power lines and choose to be proactive in pruning.
Outside of protecting your property from damage, regular pruning helps to improve the appearance of a tree, allowing you to shape it the way you like and encouraging flowering and fruiting. It is not recommended that you prune a tree until the first winter after planting. A professional tree care service will help you to devise a proper pruning and trimming schedule for the trees on your property.
Monitor Trees for Damage and Disease
While homeowners may not be able to prevent a tree from infestation or disease, the earlier problems are spotted, the easier it will be to take effective steps to improve the health of a tree. Some of the most common tree diseases in the United States include:
- Anthracnose
- Apple scab
- Canker diseases
- Cedar-apple rust
- Diplodia Tip Blight
- Dothistroma Needle Blight
- Fire blight
- Oak wilt
- Powdery mildew
It is important to keep a close eye on your trees over the different seasons and spot any unusual changes in their appearance and health. Consulting with a professional tree care service to learn about the common diseases that affect the trees on your property and their signs is also helpful.
Ignoring a diseased tree increases the risk of property damage through falling trees and infestation by pests and other unwanted creatures. Tree fungus can not only have a major impact on the health of a tree but also on the health of both humans and pets.
Remove Dead and Weak Trees
When a tree dies and it is no longer being supplied with nutrients and moisture, its wood can become prone to snapping. Injuries to people and damage to property can easily occur when branches unexpectedly snap or when the tree itself falls during a period of stormy or inclement weather.
A dead tree is at serious risk of falling during a storm and the results can be catastrophic. Falling trees during severe weather have been described as an “underreported, deadly danger.” If you have a dead or weakened tree on your property, it is highly recommended that you schedule its removal without delay.
Prepare Trees for Stormy Weather
Following on from the above point, below we will outline some practical steps that you can take to prepare your trees for upcoming stormy weather. These include:
- Removing any dead or weakened trees on the property
- Making sure there are no branches overhanding your property’s roof or power lines
- Keeping up with proper fertilization (particularly for younger trees)
- Trimming any dead limbs that you have missed since the last pruning
If you have any doubts or concerns in advance of a period of stormy weather, don’t hesitate to consult with an experienced tree care service such as Grace Tree Service in Kokomo, IN.
Practice Responsibility Tree Ownership
Finally, it’s worth highlighting some of the responsible tree ownership steps that you can take that will help to prevent tree damage on your property.
It is recommended that you avoid building anything too close to a tree, given that the roots need space to properly stretch out. Also, avoid parking or driving over buried tree roots as this can lead to soil compaction. For trees that grow into a public right-of-way, ensure that they are kept trimmed so that people can safely drive or walk past them.
How to Avoid Tree Damage on Your Property
Trees are a wonderful addition to a property, though they require routine maintenance in order to avoid property or personal damage. The above tips will help to keep your property and its occupants safe from tree damage. It is highly recommended that you schedule routine tree maintenance from a professional tree care service near you.
In Kokomo, IN, and surrounding areas, your premier choice for tree and stump removal, tree trimming, and emergency and storm damage jobs is Grace Tree Service. Contact our team today for a free quote.