Summer is one of the most beautiful times of year, especially if your yard is full of gorgeous trees that offer shade and beautiful scenery. Trees offer so many benefits, including natural beauty and temperature regulation, but despite all of the advantages, summer is one of the most important times to monitor them for potential hazards.
Summer also marks Florida’s rainy season and hurricane season, so large tree branches can cause major property damage or injury. It’s important to protect yourself, your family, and your neighbors this time of year. Weakened limbs and overgrown branches can break without warning during a storm, so keeping your trees well-pruned is critical going into the summer months.
If you’re a homeowner with a yard full of trees or an HOA manager trying to protect your community, staying ahead of tree trouble during storm season in Florida can keep you and your community safe and help prevent costly damage. Below, we’ll tell you when trimming is necessary, how summer pruning is different from tree care in the spring and fall, and how to know when it’s time to call a professional.
Why Central Florida Summers Create Unique Challenges For Trees
Warm temperatures and frequent rain in the summertime promote rapid tree growth, especially in Central Florida. Branches become heavier as leaves reach full size, which means the tree must support more weight. At the same time, thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes produce intense winds, saturated soil, and heavy rainfall that all put additional stress on trunks, limbs, and roots. It’s this combination of heavier canopies and severe weather that makes unpruned trees extra dangerous in the summertime.
Signs Your Tree Needs Attention
Not every tree needs extensive pruning every season, but regular inspections and tree maintenance can go a long way toward addressing problems as they arise. There are several warning signs that should never be ignored.
1. Dead or Dying Branches
Dead or dying limbs become more brittle as temperatures rise, whereas healthy limbs are more flexible and can bend with wind gusts. Some common signs of dead or dying branches include:
- Branches without leaves during the growing season
- Peeling bark
- Cracks in large limbs
- Mushrooms or fungal growth
- Hollow sections of branches
Pruning away dead or dying branches and conducting general tree maintenance before storm season is key and will reduce the chances of property damage.
2. Branches Hanging Over Property
If you have tree branches hanging over your home, your neighbor’s home, vehicles, pools, playgrounds, or outdoor structures, it’s a good idea to trim them back before storm season. A strong storm with high wind speeds can easily cause branches to fall. Large branches can do significant damage to property. Overgrown branches can also make trees more top-heavy and less capable of withstanding wind gusts.
3. Leaning Trees
Leaning trees should be evaluated by a certified arborist as soon as possible. A tree may start to lean because it’s sick or dying, because it’s too top-heavy, or because there is soil erosion near the trunk that is destabilizing its roots. Leaning trees are at risk of falling during a severe storm, and a sudden collapse can be extremely dangerous. It’s best to have the tree inspected and removed if necessary.
Why Summer Pruning Is Different
Many homeowners have heard that trees should only be pruned during winter, when the tree is dormant. While winter pruning is ideal for many trees and helps prevent disease and infection, summer pruning serves a different purpose: Rather than focusing on shaping the tree’s future growth, the objective of summer pruning is to address immediate safety concerns and tree health.
The goals of summer pruning include:
- Removing broken branches
- Eliminating damaged or dangerous limbs
- Improving structural stability
- Increasing airflow through dense canopies
Summer is also pest season, and certain Florida insects can cause significant damage to a tree. A summer tree inspection can quickly spot signs of pest damage and save the tree before it’s too late.
Pruning in the spring and summer allows you to take the necessary steps toward ensuring your trees are safe and stable for storm season. Spring pruning is best suited for addressing any issues that developed during winter dormancy, and fall pruning is for ensuring the tree is in good shape to survive the winter. Both types of seasonal prunings help trees maintain a thinner, more balanced canopy.
Thin canopies are important because they significantly improve stability. With proper thinning, trees are more resistant to wind. They can also benefit from improved air circulation and sunlight penetration, plus reduced fungal disease.
Summer Pruning Is Especially Important For HOAs
If you’re a property manager or on the board of an HOA, summer pruning is even more important, especially if you’re responsible for maintaining landscaping and protecting properties. Ensuring all trees are properly pruned before storm season can save you from expensive damage and make your residents safer. This is why proactive inspections are so important. We recommend hiring an ISA Certified Arborist to visit your property and inspect all trees in your community before big storms set in.
Summer is also pest season, and many insects target stressed trees, including beetles and aphids. When storm damage creates openings, insects and disease can enter and cause extensive tree damage. Routine inspections, tree maintenance, and using a property protection tree service can all help to keep insect infestations at bay.
Also, deciding when to trim a tree or take it down can be difficult. If a tree has damage, an arborist will often do everything possible to save the tree before recommending removal, but it’s important to trust a professional to determine what your tree really needs.
Don’t Wait Until After The Storm; Call A Professional Today
One of the biggest mistakes property owners and HOA managers make is waiting until after damage has occurred before calling in the pros. You should always schedule a tree inspection before storm season, even if you don’t see any signs of dead or dying trees on your property.
Many structural defects that can affect trees aren’t obvious from the ground, and self-inspections are too dangerous for anyone without proper training. By scheduling inspections and tree maintenance before severe weather arrives, you can safely address concerns without the urgency or higher costs of emergency tree services.
Large trees should always be evaluated by a professional. Arborists have the equipment, training, and expertise to safely remove hazardous trees and branches. They can also give sick trees the best chance of survival.
A “tree safety summer” should be part of your annual landscaping plans. If you’re looking for an ISA Certified Arborist or summer tree trimming DeLand residents can trust, contact CFB Outdoors today.