| Stormy skies above a Tucson sunset |
This winter’s El Niño weather pattern and climate change team up to create stronger storms (hotter temps mean more energy in the atmosphere). As the strong winds can result in major damage from trees blowing over or dropping large branches, this article has information about working to prevent this.
- reposted from Council Member Kevin Dahl's newsletter with expert help and editing from Tucson’s urban forester Nicole Gillette.
Prepare Trees For Hurricane-level Winds
Work as far in advance as you can to help give your trees the best chance of staying upright during extreme storms and if there is a pressing concern call an arborist! Avoid taking any dramatic action that may weaken your tree in the short term such as any major pruning, restricting the root area, or taking away nutrients and food away from the tree.
Root Management & Watering
- Expand the watering zone: If you provide drip irrigation, move emitters away from the trunk and out to the edge of the tree’s canopy. If you use rainwater basins, place them similarly away from the trunk (never plant a tree at the bottom of a basin). Watering just near the base keeps soil wet and unstable while forcing roots to stay shallow.
- Watering your tree is a long game strategy: watering long and deep at the trees drip line helps the tree grow healthy roots. Ahead of a big storm however, avoid oversoaking soil which can lead to erosion.
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This photo is from the City of Tucson's Tree Care Standards Manual, available on the Climate Action Hub website.
Proper Tree Structure or Form
- Assess Tree Form: Consult an arborist for a pre-storm structure check. Your arborist will be able to identify risky limbs that can be safely removed before a storm.
- Remove dead or heavy limbs: Cut away dead, damaged, or overextended branches that snap easily or add dangerous tip weight during gusts.
- Avoid lion-tailing: Never strip all interior branches off the main trunks (a bad practice known as lion-tailing), which creates a top-heavy umbrella much more likely to be toppled in a storm (picture the wind taking off with your umbrella) and ruins natural tree structure.
Staking & Tree Selection Only on Young Trees (or as recommended by a certified arborist)
- Stake young trees correctly: Use flexible arbor ties and stakes positioned 1/2 to 2/3 up the trunk, ensuring the tree still has a little movement, so it develops a strong, tapered trunk.
- Choose native species: Plant resilient native desert trees that have not evolved with our monsoonal patterns and winter winds.
As we endure this era of human-caused climate change, we must be aware that none of us, including our plant relatives, have regularly experienced these kinds of historic weather events, and sometimes trees will simply not be able to withstand major storm events. Please do not give up on trees as our best climate heroes and support and appreciate our green industry leaders like certified arborists.
Remember: a properly selected, planted and maintained tree that is at home in its ecosystem will be more resilient to storms compared to a tree left isolated, improperly planted, or never maintained.
1 FEMA Region 9 Encourages Households to Prepare Ahead of El Niño Winter Storms. To download a flyer with more information, visit https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/graphics/fema_r9_el-nino-flyer.jpg.
