FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Bedford Hills, NY. March 16, 2010
SavATree, Once Again, Helps Clients Recover from Storm Damage
The storm has passed but storm damage — including down trees, limbs and branches — remains a huge problem for residents in parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. SavATree’s arborists and field crews are on the scene helping their clients recover.
Bedford Hills, NY. March 16, 2010 — Parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were hardest hit by the latest round of unseasonable weather which is being called the worst storm in nearly 40 years. Hurricane-force winds — upwards of 75 miles an hour — coupled with heavy rain and an already saturated ground are being blamed for countless downed trees.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Daniel van Starrenburg, President of SavATree. “Most commonly affected by these conditions are large canopy trees. We’re seeing a lot of evergreens like Norway Spruces, Eastern White Pines and some large deciduous species down. Their large canopies acted like sails catching the high-speed wind gusts. This, coupled with saturated soil conditions (a result of the recent snow melt and the 4-5 inches of newly fallen rain) put these trees at risk of uprooting.”
Residual Dangers
There are many residual dangers associated with storms of this magnitude.
- Use cautions around down trees. When a tree or branch falls, the limbs on the down side are under pressure. If one of these branches is cut or the tree moves, the limb could give to the pressure and snap up like a whip.
- Watch out for fallen branches, and those that have yet to fall. Broken braches may have found temporarily support on a lower branch. These could eventually become dislodged by wind or if the supporting branch can no longer hold the weight.
- Don’t be fooled by a down wire. Even if the power to the wire is off, a nearby generator feeding power to a home or business may inadvertently feed some power to even a down wire.
What To Do If Tree Damage Occurs
“The knee-jerk reaction of many is to say, ‘I don’t want to risk future damage, just cut down all of my trees’ but that’s not the right solution,” said van Starrenburg. “Through sound arboricultural practices, risk can be reduced and we can live in harmony with these living assets.”
If a tree has sustained minor injury, usually little to no permanent damage will be sustained. All that will be required is cleanup and perhaps a corrective pruning to restore the tree’s structure and aesthetic appeal.
More severe damage such as large broken branches, split crotches, removal of bark, and splitting or splintering of the trunk are common after a storm of this caliber. In this case, a tree service professional should always be consulted. Only certified arborists and tree service professionals can assess damage and determine whether the tree can be saved. If the tree is diagnosed as unsafe, the certified arborist can facilitate its safe removal.
