Tree with dead “hangers” from recent windstorms in the Panhandle. These dead broken limbs should be assessed and removed accordingly. Photo Credit: Ian Stone
Recently our area has experienced multiple severe wind events. You may have noticed some light to moderate damage to some of the trees in your yard. You may have even experienced severe damage or a complete failure of a tree on your or a neighbor’s property. While a complete failure or severe damage pose obvious hazards and need removal, it is the more minor to moderate damage that often raises questions on how to address the issue. Hanging broken branches are often called “Hangers” in forestry or tree care circles. These are often smaller to mid-sized branches which have partially broken off but are still lodged in the tree. After several weeks to a month the foliage starts to die and turn brown, and these “hangers” become obvious in trees that received damage. How do you assess these and when should you get a professional involved? Do they pose a potential health issue if not removed?
These broken limbs are becoming quite noticeable as they die and turn brown. It is important to make good decisions on how to handle these hanging dead branches and how to maintain your tree. Often these hangers are more unsightly than anything else, especially if they are small. Larger ones may pose a risk of damage or injury if they are located over a structure or may fall in an area frequented by people. Most of these hangers will break and dislodge over time, especially in wind events. You should consider the risk posed by the hanging limb, the difficulty and cost of addressing it, and the risk posed by the limb falling. For trees that got noticeable damage with several larger limbs broken, having some repair and rejuvenation pruning done is often good for tree health. You may be able to address some issues yourself if you are handy with a pole pruner and the broken limb is in reach. Anyone attempting even light tree work should be aware of risks posed by falling limbs and use of pole saws. Remember to never attempt to climb trees yourself or perform tree trimming from a ladder or height, as this is fundamentally unsafe. Even limbs which may be safely reached from the ground with a pole pruner can pose risks of injury. If you are attempting to remove some of these hangers with a pole pruner, be very cautious and use good safety techniques. You need to make sure the branch has a landing zone, and you are well clear of it when using a pole saw or pruner. Be aware of vines and other entanglements, and do not work around or within the right of way of electrical or other lines. Larger limbs and those not reachable from the ground should be considered outside the scope of homeowners and left to professionals.
Here is a quick reference guide for how to size up any broken or damaged limbs in your tree and address the situation
Small branches and branch tips with a diameter of the broken branch is 1 inch or less and the branch is hanging or lodged. These size hangers pose little risk and are mostly unsightly. They should fall out of the tree on their own over time. These may be trimmed out slightly behind the break of those within reach of a pole pruner.
Small to Medium branches-1-3 inches in diameter. The branch has partially broken or has completely broken and is lodged in another branch. Branches this size can do some light to moderate damage if they fall on a roof, fence, or other structure. If the branch overhangs areas where people or pets frequent it could cause injuries if it fails. If the branch does not pose a hazard or danger it should dislodge on its own over time. Consider removing these if they pose a risk. They can be removed from the ground with a pole pruner or pole saw but be very cautious as branches this size can easily injure someone that is in the fall zone. Consult a professional if a lift or climbing is required.
Large Canopy Branches 3 inches and larger. These are significant branches and can hold a significant amount of weight. If they are partially broken, hung, or lodged in the tree they may come out at any time and do significant damage or cause injury. These branches are beyond the tools and scope of homeowners, and the damage may require some recovery pruning to keep the tree healthy. Consult with a professional and consider having the damage removed and tree properly trimmed.
Main Branch and Trunk Failures- This is significant damage to the tree which can make it unsound or susceptible to disease in the future. If large main branches have failed, the top has completely failed, or part of the trunk has cracked or split from the damage; major damage has occurred and the tree may not recover. If your tree has suffered this level of damage consult a professional with a tree service and have a certified arborist examine the tree.
It can be hard to tell from the ground what level of damage a tree sustained until the brown foliage appears past the break. Once you can identify what type of damage occurred you can better determine what action is needed. For small branches it may be best just to wait for them to come out naturally or prune them out if this can be done safely with a pole pruner. For larger branches or more severe damage a professional is the best bet. For those hangers that pose a risk to structures or people in an area removal is best, as these could fall at any time and cause damage or injury. Remember never to attempt tree work yourself especially if it involves climbing or working from heights. You can find a certified arborist at www.treesaregood.org to address large limbs and significant damage. A good arborist can help you rehabilitate a tree that has had only moderate damage from a storm. If you are unsure of where to start with a tree that has wind damage, consult your local extension office for some advice.
The Pensacola area has had its fair share of rough weather lately. While the recent storms were not hurricanes, the rainfall totals rivaled many tropical storms, and the lighting and wind were disastrous. A tornado caused significant damage, including a tragic death, with more tumultuous weather in the forecast. Our rainy hurricane season has just begun, so it is worth talking about tree selection, management, and preparing for storms.
After the busy 1992, 1995, 1998, and 2004-05 hurricane seasons, several University of Florida researchers undertook an exhaustive on-the-ground project to look at tree damage statewide. Their goal was to determine which species survived high winds, and which trees were the most vulnerable during storms. Their findings were consistent, and have held up over the past few decades. A full description of the project can be found online, along with several publications that go over proper pruning and maintenance of trees, both before a storm and after recovery.
Live oaks have dense wood and are extremely wind-resistant species. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
This chart developed by UF researchers denotes the percentage of trees surviving Hurricane Ivan, by species. Courtesy M. Duryea and E. Kampf
Live oaks, and sand live oaks (which live on coastal sand dunes) are slow-growing trees with extraordinarily dense wood. This protects them in hurricane-force winds. Part of the working theory on why bald cypress, holly, and magnolia do well in storms is their pyramidal shape, which seems to allow wind to whip circularly around the trees and avoid damage. Sabal palms are botanically considered part of the grass category and not trees, so their single, flexible trunk allows them to handle the onslaught of wind. Sweetgums are particularly hardy in tornadoes, due to their sturdy root system and shorter, “stout” branches. Smaller understory trees like crape myrtle and dogwood are likely dodging the strongest winds, but also have strong branch structures and dense wood. These two species, along with sand live oak, also lost an average of more than 80% of their leaves. This defoliation is an adaptation to heavy winds, with trees that lost leaves performing better overall than species that held onto their leaves but toppled at the trunk.
Significant damage to a home after a tornado struck Pensacola in 2016. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Another list of tree survivability was developed for residents in tropical and subtropical regions of the state. If you have friends or family in south-central Florida, be sure to share this information with them.
Besides planting wind-resistant species, the research team shared other observations related to tree planting and arrangement, too. Single trees are more vulnerable than trees planted in clusters, as they protect each other from incoming winds. Older trees, and those with preexisting damage, are more likely to fall. Trees with plenty of space around their roots do better—if a tree is surrounded on two or more sides with buildings or other hard surfaces, they cannot spread adequately. Detailed information on identifying damaged or poorly structured trees, along with maintenance and pruning tips, can be found in the “Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program” series of articles written by the UF tree specialists involved in the studies. The publications include good diagrams and photos of specific examples.
Moderate to strong El Nino conditions were predicted for this summer and I think this revelation has come true. The heat and humidity in the latter part of June were on the verge of being unbearable and the precipitation cycle is unpredictable. In the middle of the month, a series of storms with strong winds hit a number of areas in the panhandle, bringing down some large trees. University of Florida/IFAS Extension recommends removing large branches and trees that pose a threat to damaging your home and other structure before the start of each hurricane season. However, sometimes we just don’t get around to removing these trees until after they fall.
Trees laying on the corner of a house. Photo Credit: Matt Lollar, University of Florida/IFAS Extension – Santa Rosa County
Luckily only the tops of the trees in the photo above fell on the roof of the house. These are laurel oaks (Quercus laurifolia) which are fast growing but not tolerant of wind. In this situation, four trees fell together and are laying on the corner of the roof. The trees also pulled down the power, cable, and phone lines to the house.
So where do we go from here? Unfortunately the trees were uprooted and pose the potential for additional harm to the house if not removed correctly. In this situation, a tree service that owns a crane was recommended to remove the trees without administering more damage to the home and other trees and plants in the landscape and to avoid knocking down the powerlines again.
A crane used in conjunction with a boom lift to cut and lift trees off of a house. Photo Credit: Matt Lollar, University of Florida/IFAS Extension – Santa Rosa County
The tree service utilized a boom lift and a crane to safely lift the trees away from the house and utility lines. The employee on the lift connected each section of the tree to the crane before each cut. The boom was then moved to a safe location before each tree section was lifted away to the road to be cut into smaller pieces.
In this situation, the homeowner was lucky. There was no damage to the house other than a couple bent panels on the metal roof. However, this little bit a damage could have been totally avoided if these weak trees had been removed before the storm hit.
The trees featured in this article fell during a thunderstorm and possible tornado. If these trees had fallen during a weather event that was Federally declared, then a portion of the cost for their removal and cleanup might have been eligible to be considered an itemized deduction on Federal income tax forms. For more information on filing this type of loss please read the publication “Income Tax Deduction on Timber and Landscape Tree Loss from Casualty” from the USDA Forest Service.
After Hurricane Michael indiscriminately felled millions of trees in the Florida Panhandle five years ago, I’ve gotten much more selective with which trees I recommend to shade-seeking homeowners. Category 5 hurricanes don’t strike every year, or even every decade, but Michael reminded us that 150 mph+ wind events are possible, and we should choose the trees we plant accordingly. Keeping Michael’s lesson in mind, the shade tree I’ve recommended most to area homeowners lately is the ultra-wind resistant Nuttall Oak (Quercus texana) *.
While probably not native to our area (Nuttall is native to Mississippi River Valley bottomlands and nearby Gulf Coast regions), Nuttall Oak is a well-adapted deciduous oak species perfect for the Panhandle. The species is a strong, long-lived tree, yet also a quick grower (3-4’ per year in its youth, reaching 60-80’ at maturity). Unlike many rapidly growing trees, Nuttall is extremely resistant to wind breakage, disease, and other disfiguring issues. There are several Nuttall Oaks in Panhandle landscapes that survived Michael’s fury completely intact, with little more than wind-whipped leaves as evidence a storm had passed.
10 year old Nuttall Oak in a Calhoun County landscape. Photo courtesy of Daniel Leonard.
Nuttall is also an awesome landscape ornamental and a wildlife magnet in maturity. The species possesses a strong central leader and a stately, upright-rounded appearance. In summer, Nuttall leaves are large, dark green, deeply lobed, and pointed, somewhat reminiscent of our native Southern Red Oak. In fall, trees are capable of Blue Ridge quality color with fiery orange-red foliage, though the foliage show is not as consistent year to year here as farther north. The bark of Nuttall even has aesthetic appeal – dark and smooth in youth becoming ridged/furrowed with age. And it’s not just people that find Nuttall attractive, several beneficial insects use Nuttall as a host plant and various wildlife (deer, squirrel, and ducks especially) are fond of the prolific, highly nutritious acorns that mature trees produce in earnest each winter.
Finally, Nuttall is among the easiest of trees to grow and thrives in a variety of landscape conditions. Because it’s adapted to grow in poorly drained bottomlands that are either seasonally flooded or very dry, Nuttall is very tolerant of both compacted, poorly aerated soils common in urban areas and unirrigated, often droughty soils present in many Panhandle landscapes. However, like any tree, Nuttall Oak performs best with regular water and fertilizer for the first couple of years until established.
If you’ve been searching for a native-ish, hurricane-resistant, quick-growing, low-maintenance, wildlife-attracting shade tree for your property, Nuttall Oak is an excellent option and one I can fully recommend! For more information on Nuttall Oak or any other horticultural topic, please contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office. Happy gardening!
*Nuttall Oak was recently reclassified botanically from Quercus nuttallii to Quercus texana.
It is the time of year when we get reminded that we have just entered Hurricane season here on the Gulf Coast. Ideally you will have already done your tree maintenance and health checks around your home, but if you have not you can still get a tree care professional out to look at your trees. Maintaining your trees is an important part of storm preparedness. Keeping trees trimmed and in good health ensures that tree risks are minimized during the storm season. Even with proper pruning and maintenance some trees pose a risk due to location, poor structure, or disease. Having a professional assess your tree/trees and come up with a maintenance plan can help you avoid costly damage and keep your tree in good condition.
In this file photo released by UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Associate Dean for Research Mary Duryea and Ed Gilman, a UF urban horticulture professor, look over their recently published booklet that gives tips on how to prevent storm damage to urban trees. The booklet is free and available on the Internet or at any county extension office.
Trees are a major part of our landscape on the Gulf Coast, especially in our urban areas. They provide so many benefits to the landscape and are often the centerpiece of yards and parks in our urban areas. Without trees we lose the shade and cooling benefits a tree provides, have less habitat for birds and other wildlife, and loose aesthetic values that come with a majestic tree. Trees take a long time to grow and develop as well, so a large well-developed tree is not easily replaced. This naturally leads to a question many people find themselves facing. How do I preserve trees I want but minimize risk to my home and structures? The answer to this question is to assess the condition of the tree, the risk it may pose, and decide on the proper tree maintenance accordingly.
Lots of things go into determining what to do with a tree. The first thing to consider is location of the tree and its limbs. If the tree and its limbs are close to your home, you must consider how to maintain the tree in such a way that risks are minimized. If the tree has structural and/or health problems, you must factor in how these conditions affect the stability and health of a tree. The tree species also determines how it will need to be maintained as well as how stable it is in a wind event. All of these factors play into how to maintain the trees on your landscape, or if the tree poses an unacceptable risk, when to remove trees that may be in decline or present a hazard.
The best course of action is to consult with a tree care professional and develop a tree maintenance plan. Make sure you select a tree care professional with good qualifications, background, and insurance. The top professional credential in tree care is the International Society of Arboriculture’s (ISA) Certified Arborist. You can search for a Certified Arborist in your area on the ISA Website, Find an Arborist (treesaregood.org). For trees that you are concerned about from a risk perspective consider getting a Tree Risk Assessment. Certain Certified Arborists carry a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification which is a specialty qualification specifically to assess the risk a tree poses. By having your trees examined by an arborist you can make an informed decision on maintaining your landscape trees. For trees that are in good health and are species that do well in high winds, proper maintenance and pruning will assist in keeping the tree in good condition. For trees with health or structural problems or that are species that do poorly in high winds, removal may be needed.
There is no one size fits all solution to tree maintenance and tree risk, but with proper assessment and tree care you can be confident you are making the correct decision. Putting off tree care and assessment is when problems occur. Consulting with an arborist and developing a tree care plan with clear timelines and practices is your best option to maintain your trees and avoid issues with high-risk trees. As painful as it may be, for high-risk trees removal and replacement may be the best option. By consulting with a tree care professional, such as an arborist, you can know your tree conditions and the associated risks and options. With this information in hand, you can make well informed decisions that match your tree health and risk management goals.
About a year ago, one of my regular blog readers asked if magnolia trees (Magnolia grandiflora) had any particularly redeeming qualities. The one in her yard was constantly dropping leaves and seedpods, and she was tired of it. Little did she know, she had stepped into the domain of an absolute devotee of the magnolia tree. I told her that as a child of the Magnolia State (Mississippi) with the new magnolia-centered state flag flying from my front porch, it was my sworn duty to defend this magnificent symbol of southernness. Well, maybe I wasn’t so dramatic, but I definitely took on the challenge.
Magnolia trees produce large cones/seedpods that are filled with wildlife food. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
First, I do empathize with the constant leaf dropping. We have a large, beautiful magnolia tree in our front yard, and it drops its thick leaves year-round. We just rake them into a natural mulch pile around the base of the tree, though. As for the seedpods—those I have learned to be wary of. A couple of summers ago as I walked to my mailbox, I didn’t see one on the curb, then promptly rolled my ankle on it and landed face-first onto the road. After massive swelling and bruising on my foot, I finally went to a doctor to discover I’d managed to tear a tendon. So, tread carefully around the dropping seedpods!
The sturdy branches of our magnolia tree have supported a swing for over a decade. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
But aside from that, it’s all positives. A Southern magnolia is as sturdy a tree as you could hope for—it is consistently ranked as one of the most wind-resistant trees in the landscape. Their thick, dense, upright trunks and the overall pyramidal shape allows the wind to whip around them, rarely causing damage. In fact, the only damage we’ve had to our tree was when a weaker tree fell on our magnolia and knocked some branches off. Eighteen years after Hurricane Ivan, it’s filled in and you’d never know it lost branches. Ours was planted 50 years ago to celebrate the birth of the previous homeowners’ son, and has been a source of shade and relaxation (we have a great swing hanging from it) ever since.
The broad, open shape of the fragrant magnolia bloom co-evolved with its beetle pollinator millions of years ago, before bees existed! Photo credit: UF IFAS
Like many other trees, magnolias have medicinal uses. The bark of a related magnolia species has been used in traditional Asian medicine to treat “anxiety, asthma, depression, gastrointestinal disorders, headache, and more” and our North American varieties were once used as an antimalarial drug. Modern research has shown seed extracts are effective in maintaining sleep and body temperature, as a sedative, and in reducing the intensity of epileptic seizures. As always, never attempt to use a plant-based home remedy without consulting a physician!
To me, nothing quite says springtime like a magnolia blossom. As buds, they are thick and velvety, completely covering the trees with pops of bright white. Once they bloom, these large (up to 8” wide) saucer-shaped blossoms give off a lovely fragrance, attracting pollinators. Interestingly, magnolias are such an ancient species that they evolved (in the Cretaceous period) before flying insects like bees and butterflies existed. Therefore, magnolias are pollinated by flies and flightless beetles, which crawl from one flower to the other, relying on their sense of smell to guide them. Because beetles are chewers, the flowers and leaves co-evolved to be thicker and tougher to offset and survive the bugs’ messy eating habits. Once the flowers have gone, the fuzzy grenade-shaped cones/seedpods grow on the trees. After the seedpods fall, they open to reveal brilliant red seeds. These have significant wildlife value, as songbirds, squirrels, deer, wild turkey, and quail eat the seeds. This time of year, many people use the waxy, deep green leaves for seasonal décor—magnolia wreaths are quite popular, especially in the south. Many people make their own, but companies often sell them for hundreds of dollars apiece!
Magnolia macrophylla ssp. macrophylla (Bigleaf Magnolia) Photo credit Danny Schissler
In our area, the Southern magnolia is only one of several beautiful native specimens of the Magnolia genus. In freshwater wetlands, the slightly more petite sweet bay (Magnolia virginiana) is easily recognizable by the backs of its leaves, fluttering a silvery gray in the wind. One of my very favorite trees is the bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) which boasts mind-boggling leaves that can be over 2 feet long! In his travels throughout the United States in the late 18th century, explorer and naturalist William Bartram described the leaves as “an expanded umbrella, superbly crested with a silver plume.”
The sweetbay magnolia is easily recognizable by the silvery gray color on the backs of its leaves. Photo credit: Dan Gill/LSU AgCenter
Magnolias may be so common as to seem unremarkable to many, but they are a hardy group of trees who have survived on the planet since dinosaurs roamed the earth. And that’s about as redeeming a quality as you can get. To learn about other magnolia varieties that work well in our area, check out this publication from UF IFAS Gardening Solutions.
