Preparing your Trees for El Nino

Preparing Trees for El Nino

Forecasters everywhere have been predicting that 2015 will serve Californians an El Niño to remember. In fact, The Weather Channel recently forecasted that it could last well into the spring of 2016!

Everyone will need to prepare for the influx of rains in different ways – if you’ve got a creek, get those sandbags ready – and those with trees on their property also need to take special precautions. So grab a notebook and a pen, and take note of which of these checklist items are appropriate for the trees in your yard. Do everything you can do to prepare your trees for what could be the very, very rainy season ahead:

1. Clear Everything Near the Roof. If there are any branches overhanging your roof or touching it – get rid of them.

2. Prune the Big Ones. Big rains often come with big winds. Have large trees – like those giant pine trees in the front yard – structurally pruned to allow the wind to pass through them safely.

3. Clean them up. If you see any dead branches – or those that are on their way, remove them before they fall. Solidify young trees. Those saplings you picked up at the water conservation event this spring? They haven’t been in the ground long, so make sure they – or any younger trees – are well-staked to withstand the winds.

4. Make Sure They’re All Healthy. Inspect your trees’ health. Are there dead branches at the top? Decaying or soft roots at the base? Those could be signs that the trees’ health is in decline.

If you’re not sure how to assess any aspect of your trees’ health – or would rather entrust it to the experts, be sure and contact a certified arborist today. It’s always better to be glad you did, rather than wish you had!