Hurricane Season Tree Prep for Houston Homeowners
What to do with the trees around your house before hurricane season so a storm does less damage, and which trees to deal with now, not after.
Every storm season Houston loses trees, and a lot of the damage was predictable. The dead pine that finally came down, the limb that had been hanging over the bedroom for two years, those were not surprises. A little prep before the wind shows up saves you the emergency call after. Here is what to look at now.
Deal with the trees that are already weak
The trees that come down in a storm are usually the ones that were already in trouble. Before the season gets going, walk your property and look for:
- Dead or mostly bare trees
- Big dead limbs up in the canopy
- A trunk that is split, cracked, or hollow
- A tree that started leaning after the last wet stretch
Those are the ones to handle on a calm day, not during a warning. If any of that sounds familiar, here are the signs a tree needs to come down.
Thin and trim, don’t top
A healthy tree with a dense, heavy canopy catches more wind. Selective thinning lets wind pass through instead of pushing the whole tree, and clearing deadwood means fewer projectiles. But there is a wrong way to do this: topping a tree, hacking the top off, actually makes it weaker and more dangerous long term. Proper trimming, not topping.
Get limbs off the house and the lines
Anything already touching or hanging over your roof, and anything growing into the power lines, is the first thing to deal with. That is where storm damage starts.
Clean up what is loose
Loose deadwood, hanging limbs, and dead palm fronds all become flying debris. Clearing them is quick and takes a lot of risk off the table.
The trees worth keeping
This is not about taking down every tree. Healthy, well-placed shade trees are worth a fortune in this heat and ride out storms fine. The goal is to deal with the few that are a liability and keep the ones that are an asset.
Beat the rush
When a storm is in the forecast, everybody calls at once. Doing this in the calm part of the year means it actually gets done, and on your schedule, not in a line behind the whole neighborhood. We cover The Woodlands, Spring, Conroe, and the rest of the area. Call (346) 303-8759 for a free look before the season picks up.