How to Prepare Your Trees for Hurricane Season in the Wiregrass

Walk Your Property Before the Season Starts

Look at every tree tall enough to reach your house, garage, driveway or a neighbor's home. From the ground, check for:

• Dead branches, especially large ones hanging over the roof.
• Cracks or splits in the trunk or where large limbs meet.
• A new or worsening lean, or soil that is heaving or cracked at the base.
• Mushrooms, soft wood or hollow spots near the base, which can point to root or trunk decay.
• Thin, yellowing or browning canopies on pines, which may signal beetle damage or decline.

If you find any of these on a tree that could hit something, have it looked at before the season gets active.

Prune for Wind, Not Just Looks

Removing dead wood and thinning an overly dense canopy lets wind pass through instead of pushing against the tree like a sail. Good tree trimming and pruning also raises limbs off the roof and away from service lines.

Avoid topping. Cutting the top out of a tree causes weak, fast-growing sprouts that break easily in the next storm.

Support Trees Worth Saving

A valuable oak or pecan with a weak fork does not always need to come down. Cabling and bracing can reduce the chance of a split and extend the life of the tree.

Know When a Tree Should Come Down

Some trees are simply too risky to leave in place near a home. Tall pines with root problems, trees with major trunk decay and trees already leaning toward the house are common candidates for tree removal before a storm rather than after. A tree health diagnostic can help you decide.

Get Ready for Clean-Up

Before a storm, take photos of your trees and property. Those pictures can help with an insurance claim later, and our insurance documentation service can add a professional report if you need one.

Keep our number handy. If a tree comes down on your home or blocks your driveway, we offer 24/7 emergency tree removal and full storm damage clean-up.

Stay Safe After the Storm

Stay clear of downed lines and never try to cut a tree that is under tension or resting on a structure. Those jobs are dangerous even for experienced homeowners with a chainsaw.

Pines and Hardwoods Fail Differently

Tall pines tend to snap mid-trunk or uproot when soil is saturated, and a pine standing alone after nearby trees were cleared is more exposed to wind than one in a group. Hardwoods such as water oaks more often drop large limbs or split at weak forks, especially when decay is present. Knowing how each tree is likely to fail helps decide whether pruning, bracing or removal makes the most sense.

Check Again After Every Storm

Even a storm that seems minor can crack limbs, loosen roots or leave hanging branches caught in the canopy. After high winds pass, walk the yard again and look for new leans, lifted soil, split limbs and broken branches hung up overhead. Those hanging limbs can fall days later, so keep people and pets clear until they are removed. Trees that were injured in one storm are much more likely to fail in the next one, so it is worth dealing with damage before the next system arrives.

Schedule a Pre-Storm Inspection

Call Dothan Tree Service to have your trees checked before the next storm season. We will point out any real risks and give you a written plan and price.