Reprinted from March 2007

A Journal for Community Association Leaders

By Robert Booty

Can You Sleep on

a Stormy Night?
What you can do to protect
your trees during winter months

O nce there was a farmer, who hired

a new hired hand. When the
farmer first sat down with him to
inquire about his skills, he asked, “Just
what do you do?” The reply was, “Well, I
can sleep on a stormy night.” The
farmer thought this was a strange
response, but he showed him around
the farm and his sleeping accommoda-
tions. As time passed, a fierce winter
storm awoke the farmer from a deep
sleep, momentarily disorientated. He
quickly dressed to check his animals. As
he entered the barn he was delighted to
see that his pigs were in their pen, the
chickens were on their roost, and the
cows and horses were all put away and
safe. The next day the farmer
approached his newly hired man and
said, “You knew that this storm was com-
ing, didn’t you?” He got this reply: “No,
but I told you that I could sleep on a
stormy night.”
have their way with them. When you “It looks like a war zone!” cried one
Every winter season there are dozens homeowner, as she awoke after the
of storms that affect our trees. And think about mature trees, you realize year’s first winter storm.
sometimes, even when our best efforts that they provide so many positive
are utilized to protect our trees, we are
saddened when the forces of nature things for a community, including high-
MARCH 2007 ECHO JOURNAL

Very little wind filtration
Structurally pruned for wind filtration
er property values and improving that
special character to a neighborhood.
It’s not too surprising that a survey
by Arbor National Mortgage, Inc. in
1993 revealed that “Eighty-four percent
of real estate agents feel that a house on
a lot with trees can be as much as 20%
more salable than a house on a lot with-
out trees. In addition, 62% of the
respondents said that the existence of
healthy shade trees strongly influences
a potential buyer’s impression of a
block or neighborhood; 60% thought
healthy shade trees have a big effect on
a potential buyer’s first impression of a
property; and 56% felt healthy shade
trees are a strong factor in a home’s sal-
ability.”
Most people are drawn to communi-
ties with mature trees because of the
benefits and ambiance that they pro-
vide. However, when trees fail, they can
be destructive and deadly. One attorney
who works with tree litigation cases
made this statement about trees: “Trees
can be managed, but they cannot be
controlled. To live near trees is to
accept some degree of risk. The only
way to eliminate all risk associated with
trees is to eliminate all trees.”
MARCH 2007
It seems that we have always had an
ongoing love-hate relationship with
trees. We love to surround ourselves in
their beauty. We admire their strength
and stature, and we are in awe that
some have survived for so many years.
On the other hand, we dread the day of
their failure.
Can anything be done to minimize
tree failure during storms?
A few positive things can be done
with trees to help them get through the Problems caused by trees infected by
winter months. Start by having your Armillaria root disease
trees inspected by someone who has
documented knowledge and experi- Protection of your trees begins
with inspection by qualified
ence. This will help you feel more com-
individuals
fortable by understanding that such
The role that a certified arborist
experts know what they are looking for
plays in tree protection is vital to every
and talking about. They will provide an
property owner with mature trees. The
unbiased evaluation of what needs to be
ongoing training and education they
accomplished. You should have such
receive on an annual basis keeps them
inspections done well before the winter up to date with the most recent under-
season arrives. standing of how trees respond in differ-
Then trees should be properly ent situations. This includes preparing
pruned using the principles of tree care trees for adverse weather conditions.
developed and standardized by the These individuals are different from
International Society of Arboriculture. persons who are simply licensed by the
state of California as a tree contractor
Many of the reasons trees fail result sim-
or landscaper. Why? California does not
ply from the way they were pruned.
provide or require any specific educa-
Some of the most widespread pruning
tional testing of one’s knowledge
techniques, such as topping and lion’s
regarding tree care by individuals wish-
tailing, actually damage trees and create
ing to be a contractor, before they take
problems because they change the
the state test. Nor does the state require
tree’s natural structural integrity. Trees
any ongoing education on the part of
that have been topped become haz-
the individual to retain his or her
ardous as they replace their canopies.
license. Certified arborists, however,
Generally the new growth is weakly
must do this to keep their certifications
attached to the tree and is subject to
active.
failure, especially as the branches
become larger. The failure usually hap- Can anything be done
pens during windstorms. to prevent tree failure?
Lion’s tailing is a pruning technique No, arborists cannot detect every
that is so widespread it is now at epi- condition that could possibly lead to
demic proportions. Lion’s tailing the structural failure of a tree. Trees are
occurs when all the living foliage is living organisms, and they can fail in
removed from the center of a tree. The ways we do not fully understand.
Adverse conditions are often hidden
limbs of the tree look like a lion’s tail
within a tree’s structure or below
after pruning; the limbs will appear
ground. Arborists cannot guarantee
long and slender with a “puff” of foliage
that a tree will be healthy or safe under
at the end. This creates an uneven
all circumstances or for a specified peri-
weight distribution in the tree canopy.
od of time. Likewise, results of other
And when limb failure occurs, it is usu-
remedial treatments, e.g. medicines,
ally because all of the canopy weight has
cannot be guaranteed.
been moved to the end of the branches.
Trees will often fall apart under their
own weight even without a windstorm.
ECHO JOURNAL

Ganoderma conks at the base of an Acacia tree
Sulfur fungus on a Eucalyptus tree
How can trees be pruned so they
can withstand winter storms?
We need to understand that, when a
gust of wind pushes against a tree and it
cannot pass through the canopy easily,
the chances of tree or limb failure
increase. In order to minimize this
problem, a tree needs to be properly
thinned. The thinning process should
MARCH 2007
be focused on the outer canopy of the
tree. In effect this opens up what might
be described as windows in the tree.
This procedure will allow the wind to
pass through the tree canopy with less
resistance, minimizing damage to the
tree. The thinning should involve no
more than 25% of the living foliage
with the interior foliage left intact.
Tree inspection is vital to identify
structural failures before winter
arrives
Trees lean for one of two reasons:
1. Phototropism (how’s that for a $10
word?)—This is the bending of a
plant (tree) toward the direction of
more intense light (sunlight). A tree
becomes top heavy as it becomes
larger and then, because of its size or
wet condition, root failure is likely to
occur.
2. Root failure—Usually during pro-
longed wet conditions the tree expe-
riences loss of anchorage. It is in the
process of falling, but it’s just not on
the ground yet. This is sometimes
more common with trees planted in
lawn areas. Root disease is like a tick-
ing time bomb because its activity is
for the most part unseen, under-
ground, and involves the part of the
tree that keeps it in an upright posi-
tion, the roots. Armillaria mella or oak
root fungus is one of the most com-
mon root problems affecting trees;
and it’s something a trained arborist
can usually identify. Armillaria
decomposes the tree’s roots so that it
may suddenly fall over on a clear
windless day or wait to go down in a
storm.
Sometimes there are outward signs
of structural problems, such as conks at
the base of a tree or a cavity eaten away
by decay, that are noticeable to a
trained arborist. Conks are the fruiting
bodies of decay-causing fungi that are
hidden out of sight within the trunk of
a tree. The presence of mushrooms
indicates there is dead organic material.
Evidence of any of these should alert us
to a potential problem and appropriate
action taken.
There are times when decay in trees
is very difficult to identify, because
there may be no visible or outward signs
of its presence. This problem often
makes its presence known during a
storm. The degree and variety of train-
ing among certified arborists vary.
Some have specialties that they focused
on in their careers in arboriculture,
such as forensic investigations. Using
specialized tools, such arborists are able
to provide a valuable service by identify-
ing decay in trees that may not have
ECHO JOURNAL

TreeRadar is the most advanced method
for determining tree health
shown any visible signs of having a
problem.
One of the most widely used devices
to identify hidden decay is called the
resistograph. With this tool the arborist
uses a special drill with a long small wire
bit that is drilled into an area chosen by
the technician to explore for decay. As
the bit is drilled into the tree, it mea-
sures and records the resistance the
drill encounters as it passes from solid
wood into softer wood that has been
compromised by decay. After a series of
such inspections an arborist is able to
provide his recommendations concern-
ing how advanced the decay is and how
to proceed.
One of the most recent and promis-
ing tools for decay detection is called
TreeRadar. This appears to be the most
advanced method to measure wood
decay because it is totally non-invasive
to the tree. One concern people have
had with traditional methods of decay
investigation is that holes are drilled
into a tree that they are trying to save.
TreeRadar safely uses radar to provide a
virtual image of the interior of a tree
trunk, much the same as if one were to
MARCH 2007
visit a doctor and receive an X-ray or
MRI to evaluate his or her own health.
In spite of all of our advanced tech-
nology and expanded knowledge of
trees, they do continue to fail at times.
Society has accepted the risk of living
among trees and, hopefully, the respon-
sibility to care for them. When mainte-
nance has been deferred or improperly
performed, problems arise. We live in a
time when the knowledge to care for
mature trees properly is readily avail-
able. So why is it that we continue to see
disasters such as the one shown at the
start of this discussion?
Sometimes an arborist’s recommen-
dations are ignored, and this can be a
problem. It’s often not easy to tell
clients something that they may not
want to hear. However, experts have an
obligation to be forthright, not just say
something people want to hear.
Similarly, board members and man-
agers have a responsibility to listen to
an accurate assessment of a problem
and then act to remediate it.
As you are reading this article, your
thoughts might be drawn to the beauti-
ful trees that grace your property. You
may notice that your mind wanders to
some questions: “What about our trees?
Have we utilized qualified individuals?
Is our budget sufficient to care for our
real needs or have our trees become a
liability? Is our community relativity safe
or are there real concerns involving
some of our trees?”
How you answer these questions will
determine how well you sleep on a
stormy night.
Robert Booty is the principal consultant for
Arborist OnSite.™ He is an ISA Certified
Arborist and a member of the American
Society of Consulting Arborists. He is a
member of the ECHO Maintenance Resource
Panel.
ECHO JOURNAL