You’re probably familiar the effects of climate change—rising temperatures, larger storms, and heavier rain and snowfall chief among them.
But what does climate change mean for your property, and what can you do to adapt in the meantime?
As conditions become more extreme, it will come as no surprise that your trees are more at risk for disease and damage. Warmer winters lead to heavy, wet snow and increased insects and disease. Changing precipitation patterns, increased flooding and fire risk, and higher winds all can chip away at your trees’ health and stability.
There are things you can do to combat this, though. We’ll cover them next.
Adapting your yard
Turning a critical eye toward long term sustainability now is going save you a lot of heartache in years to come. When it comes to your existing trees, you should consider:
- Monitoring for insects and disease
- Routine checks for structural defects
- Pruning to reduce weight and resistance
- Cabling to strengthen weak branches
- Lightning protection
- Soil amendment to establish stronger roots
All this goes double for any tree that is close to your home or any other sensitive areas of your property.
How to plant new trees
If you find yourself in a position to choose new plants for your property, there are a few more points you should consider.
Avoid planting trees that are prone to uprooting or breakage in storms. Not all trees are created equally. Some species are more delicate than others. These include (but aren’t limited to) silver maple, Leyland cypress, cottonwood, mimosa, willow, and white pine.
Plant trees further away from the house, and in groups for wind protection. All trees have the potential to fall in the right conditions. Avoid damage by planting new trees away from your house and in clusters that offer protection from the wind.
Strive for diversity. It’s never been a good idea to plant only one species of tree, but diversity will be even more important in the future. It can help your landscape bounce back quicker from disease and insect or weather damage.
Think you could use an expert opinion? Get in touch with one of our arborists.
