Message Board - Weather: Not just wind damage

Hi everyone, I just wanted to remind everyone that the damage caused by the recent wind isn't always visible.

Broken tree limbs or fallen trees are easy to spot and rectify with a chainsaw, but some tree limbs will hasve been damaged or weakened, and may pose a potential danger.

Signs to look for are poor leaf cover in the spring or cracks or splits on the bark itself. If you're not sure, get a competent tree surgeon to have a look, and no, I am, not a tree surgeon trying to drum up business.

Another thing to check is all newly planted stock, trees (such as whips) especially. They may still be upright, but the wind may have rocked them, loosening their supporting stake and/or their roots. All they will need is to be gently firmed back into the ground, but it will help stop them dying back in the spring when they need their roots firmly in the ground soaking up water.

Billy, you are spot on. Just because it doesn't look damaged by the wind doesn't mean it isn't. The newly planted whips I planted a few weeks ago will be checked and heeled if necessary, and I shall be looking for signs of stress on the limbs of the larger trees that we manage. I think Beech trees are probably the worst offenders for having a sudden break in a limb, so as soon as the wind dies down I shall be out inspecting the trees in the public areas first.

I saw lots of contractors being really busy with chainsaws yesterday, as loads of trees came down rouns our way. This sounds bad, but in reality it's probably a good thing for the landscape industry and other industies too.

It created immediate work for many people, and will create future work as many of these trees will need replacing. Plus it gives designers the opportunity to try different or better species to improve habitats for wildlife, changing vistas, and opening up areas that were a bit too drab or shaded.

For me the wind was a pain in the backside, as I've got to go back to a job to replant newly planted wind blown trees and hedging, which will hold up the next job and so on and so forth. But a lot of work is better than not enough work, so I can't complain.