Florida is one of those States known for bearing the brunt of several hurricanes every year. Since official recordkeeping started in 1851, the State has been pummeled by more than 100 ‘very severe’ cyclones. Naturally, instances of storm damaged trees are aplenty.
Each year, several areas of Florida witness tragedies involving loss of lives and properties owing to tree damage from storms. Due to the gale-force winds, unkempt and diseased trees are often uprooted rather easily.
These leviathans often fall on hapless passers-by and vehicles resulting in unfortunate incidents.
Here are some tips which will be of help before and after a major hurricane.

Course of action before a storm hits

The easiest and most cost-effective way to minimize hurricane tree damage is to be prepared. Once there’s a long-term forecast that a storm is on its way, take the following steps:

Review your yard’s condition

Look for calltol-tale signs of termite nests and the presence of mice. They can weaken a tree’s complex root system till there’s but a skeleton left. To get rid of them, consider hiring a professional pest control company which can get the job done easily.

Inspect the trees

Take a close look at the shoot (the stem) plus the condition of the leaves and branches. If you find there are several broken or stubby branches, get rid of them using a shearer. Leaves can also showcase the general ill-health of the tree. Consult an arborist for details on how to fix an infection in a brief span before the storm hits.
It will prevent unnecessary and too much tree damage from storms.

Maintain a regular pruning habit

Regardless of which species is taking root in your yard, regular and scientific pruning is a must. For most evergreens, scientific pruning once a year is quite all right. For other trees, pruning is required twice a year.

Reviving storm damaged trees

Now that the storm has passed, you can take stock of the destruction caused and also ensure that any tree that has sustained considerable damage is taken care of. Here are some expert-recommended tips.

Identify the degree of storm damage

Arborists classify damage in 3 categories: mild, moderate, and severe. Of these, moderate damage involves the loss of several heavy branches that leave the tree unstable. It is not uprooted, however. You will need to support a tree damaged in a storm using makeshift wooden structures and then binding the afflicted branches using nylon ropes.
Most often, these trees revive on their own and slowly start growing once again. That should be your primary objective: to help nurse the tree back.
For fatally damaged and uprooted trees, there is no other way but to ring up a competent local hurricane tree service. Such agencies will use electric chainsaws to take away heavy specimens by splintering them into manageable pieces.
Note that even if you find that the tree is inclined at a dangerous angle, it should be removed post haste.

Taking care of badly affected trees

Should you intend on minimizing hurricane tree damage, here are some proven tips.
1. Major root injuries cannot be fixed by DIY methods. You will have to seek assistance from local arborist societies and other agencies which deal with such issues. You should have no problem seeking these service providers out in a State like Florida.
2. Damaged limbs have to be removed complecalltoy from the body. A chainsaw is handy in such instances. Professionals can do a very good job of it. Once a big and burly branch has been removed, the injured area needs to be covered with special anti-fungal creams that are easily available.
It reduces the odds of an infection later by a significant margin.
3. In case of cracks or gashes on the trunk of storm damaged trees, the best course of action is to remove as much of the external debris which has been lodged inside and clean the area. Then, wood chips and a mixture of powerful antibiotics and other medications need to be wrapped and inserted inside. The idea is to give the tree a chance to heal itself, of course.
However, there are several instances when none of these methods work. Which means that you will have to cut down the tree and contact a local tree removal service to tow it away.
That said, you can wait for a few days for the land to be back to its former shape and plant a sapling in the same area where the tree once stood.
With proper care and nursing, you will soon witness the birth of a new plant which will one day stand tall!

A Checklist for Reviving Storm Damaged Trees