A terrible blizzard blew through our area last week. It did a lot of damage to many things, including trees. Tree branches broke and trees fell over or broke at the trunk. While some of this damage may have been from wind, the heavy, wet snow may have impacted trees as well. As we dig out and move back into more spring-like weather, take the time to inspect and correct your tree damage, if possible.

Tree and Shrub Damage

If heavy winds come and break branches, remove the damaged branches with a good pruning cut to allow the plant to seal up the wound. If the storm broke the top out of the tree, it would be a good idea to get a Certified Arborist in to look at the damage to determine if the tree can be salvaged.

Pruning Trees

Maintaining properly pruned trees and shrubs year-round can help reduce damage from storms. A bad branch can be properly removed prior to the storm to eliminate that branch being ripped off the tree in a storm. Think about corrective pruning moving forward to prevent further damage to these and other trees. Make good pruning cuts by cutting just outside of the bark ridge or bark collar. Don’t treat wounds with anything after pruning. Try not to remove branches larger than ½ the diameter of the main trunk, but in the case of storm damage, this may not always be avoided.

If you have a tree such as a maple or birch and it was damaged, it may ooze quite a bit of sap. These trees, among others, have a heavy spring sap flow. If pruned right before or during spring, it can lead to a lot of sap flowing out onto the trunk, lower branches, and even puddling at the base of the tree. This is not harmful to the tree but is very messy. Be aware of it when you go to prune these trees.

Uprooted Trees

Some trees were uprooted in these high winds. According to John Fech from Douglas-Sarpy County Extension, the younger the tree is, the more chance it has to survive storm damage that caused it to lean. If the tree is 0-5 years old, it has a good chance to survive leaning and should be staked as soon as possible, as long as it is not closely located to people or property. Do not stake it tightly to try to pull it back to reduce the lean, just stake it to reduce further damage and further lean.

If the tree is 5-10 years old and is leaning, there is a 40-50 percent chance that the tree will survive. Consult a certified arborist to determine the survivability of that tree, as the degree of lean, tree height and girth and other related factors (prevailing winds, soil compaction, presence of girdling roots, existing root decay, etc.) are what will cause the tree to live or die. If the tree is more than 8-10 years old and is leaning, it becomes a hazardous tree. If that tree is in an area where it is in close proximity to people or properties, it should definitely be removed. However, if this tree is on an acreage or farmstead and is further away from people or property, it may be able to survive in that location, but a certified arborist should still be consulted to know for sure.

General Plant Care after Storms

Avoid excessive branch removal where you can. You can prune out the heavily damaged branches but leave as much as you can to help the plant recover. Also, do NOT fertilize your plants until they have fully recovered from the storm damage. Fertilizing stressed plants will further stress them. Keep plants mulched properly, 2-3 inches is the recommended depth of wood chip mulches. Also, be sure to keep plants properly irrigated. Use a screwdriver to help determine the need for irrigation.

All plants damaged by strong winds that have open wounds are now more susceptible to disease issues. Keep an eye out as plant diseases start and remove infected leaves or branches as soon as possible when they show up. Use fungicides as necessary just as new diseases begin.

Nicole Stoner

Extension Educator at Nebraska Extension

Nicole Stoner is a Nebraska Extension Educator based out of Gage County in Beatrice, NE. Nicole is an ISA Certified Arborist and is Tree Risk Assessment Qualified. She obtained her Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for Horticulture with a minor in Insect Science and she has Bachelor's Degrees in both areas. Nicole's focus areas include: trees, shrubs, lawns, gardens, and insects.