5 Steps for Handling Snow Damaged Trees

For many of us, snowy conditions can lead to potentially hazardous situations. One of the harmful conditions that commercial landscape property owners constantly have to deal with is snow-damaged trees. Snowstorms often create wet, heavy snow and the snow’s weight can cause considerable damage to a property’s trees and shrubs. Knowing how to react or prepare, can help minimize damages. Here are five tips for handling snow damaged trees and shrubs:

Assess the area.

Before clearing branches, make sure the surrounding area is safe. Broken tree branches often affect and damage utility lines. Be sure to take the proper steps to ensure the situation is safe – this could mean cutting the power to those lines until clean up can be handled.

Check the damage.

Trees and shrubs that bend under the weight of the snow will recover. If a tree is overall healthy and possess its main branch, most of its major limbs, and 50 percent or more of its crown (top branches), then the tree has good chances of making a full recovery.

Be patient.

During a snowstorm, or the days immediately following, there is little that you can do to help a tree. Remove any hazards and broken branches, but save major decisions for later. Concentrate on how to save the tree rather than making an impulse decision to chop it down.

Do not over prune.

Remove and prune the damaged parts of the tree. The tree might look uneven for a time however know that new foliage will soon cover up the bare areas.

Seek help.

If the job requires a chainsaw or ladder or is just too much to handle, contact an insured, certified, commercial company. They will be better equipped to access the situation and help with the cleanup.

It is not too late to get help with your snow removal needs. Send us a note or give us a call and we will get back to you with a proposal and estimate for how we can help you.
Contact Us.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *