Emergency and Storm Damaged Trees

Here in the Pacific Northwest, winter weather can be quite unpredictable. Wind, rain, and cold temperatures are pretty common from October through March. Snow, though less common in the northern Willamette Valley, does occasionally fall upon our trees. BUT, freezing rain is something we get quite often and when it is in the forecast, here at NW Tree Specialists we take notice.

Early season freezing rain storms can coat trees that are still dropping leaves, like Sweetgum and Oak, with ice. Surprisingly, it is common for Sweetgum trees to still have their leaves on them well into late winter/early spring subjecting them to winter storms throughout the season. Freezing rain, and snow for that matter,  can completely cover a tree and add significant weight to the branches, which can result in limb, stem, or entire tree failure. Throw in a little wind storm and you have a recipe for serious damage to your trees and property.

Wind storms are also weather patterns that we take note of. Though a bit of wind is good for our trees as the swaying motion helps strengthen their structure, sudden heavy wind gust can be too much for some trees, especially those with structural issues.

Our approach to emergency and storm damaged trees is two fold. We believe that proactive measures before there is an emergency is a good practice. Options for dealing with trees in a proactive manner include:

• Crown cleaning and thinning to reduce weight and wind-sail
• Crown inspection to identify potential weaknesses
• Cable and bracing installation for trees with co-dominant stems and older trees with significant limb sizes
• Root system analysis to determine strength of root structure and identify any significant root growth limitations or changes
• Tree removal as a last resort where proactive measures are not likely to reduce risk

Of course, proactive measures are not always 100% effective and even the strongest trees can fail under extreme circumstances. When the worst happens though, NW Tree Specialists is ready to help. We offer 24/7 emergency tree services. This means that even in the middle of the night, if you have an emergency tree situation, we are ready for it. Give us a call. We WILL answer and have a certified arborist out to you as fast as possible to assess your situation. We sometimes even get there before your insurance company does. In most cases, we will have an emergency tree crew on the road to your property soon thereafter. Our goal is to get the situation taken care of as soon as possible to minimize further damage to your property.

We  hope you never need us for emergency work, but if you do, we are one of your most valuable resources.

If you are interested in learning more about proactive measures for the trees on your property, give us a call anytime to schedule a consultation with one of our Certified Arborists. We look forward to hearing from you.