Favorite Tree In Trouble? Consult An Expert Property Owners Assessing Damage In The Wake Of The Windy Weekend
Your favorite backyard pine is slouching, bent to submission by Sunday’s violent storm.
Will it ever stand up straight again?
“The answer is no,” forester Chris Schnepf said Monday.
Many property owners are assessing damage in the wake of the weekend winds. Schnepf, who works for the University of Idaho extension service in Kootenai County, said some people will be tempted to leave a tree that’s tilted or leaning.
But before doing that, they should consider what’s under the tree that would be damaged if wind, or heavy snow, causes the weakened tree to crash, Schnepf said.
If cutting down the tree seems like the wise choice, Schnepf recommends finding a tree service with experienced operators who are insured and bonded.
“There’s a lot of loggers that are very good at cutting trees in the woods. But trees next to power lines and homes, trees bent over in the wind are different. They’re like fettuccine noodles.”
One sign of expertise is a certification by the International Society of Arboriculture, he said.
What if trees have just lost branches? They’ll often survive, according to the experts.
“A lot of trees, like the Douglas fir, would rather lose a branch than hang onto it and take a beating,” said Karen Hinson, forester for the city of Coeur d’Alene. “The branches fall off easily and leave stubs that really need to be pruned back to the trunk. If it’s a hardwood, you can prune back to another branch.”
The pruning allows the tree to cover up its own wounds with sap, limiting the chance for disease and bacteria to invade. Schnepf recommends against using tree paint to cover the wounds. The paints haven’t been proven effective, he said.
Information on pruning, hazardous trees, and choosing replacement trees is available from the Kootenai County extension office, 106 E. Dalton Ave.; and the city forestry office, 212 S. Fifth St.
Coeur d’Alene also has a list of tree services that are licensed to work in the city rights-of-way. They must have a certain amount of insurance and be familiar with accepted tree-trimming practices. However, Hinson noted, businesses not on the list may also be insured and qualified.
In Spokane, advice is available through the extension service’s master gardener program, phone 533-2048. The Spokane County Conservation District can do limited on-site damage appraisals, except within the city limits of Spokane and Deer Park. The phone number is 353-2120.
, DataTimes