SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — The risk of downed trees comes with the rain and wind. And with another storm on the way, experts are urging San Diego homeowners to prepare their property.
“Some of the concerns would be branch failure or tree failure. In other words, part of a branch breaking off and falling on a car or a tree falling over on a house,” Bradley Brown, a Board Certified Master Arborist, said.
Brown explains that many parts of the county experienced fallen trees last year due to winds and record rainfall saturating the area.
“People don’t realize this, but water is actually pretty heavy. So when a tree gets saturated, not only is it carrying all that weight on the surface, but potentially moisture can soak into the bark. A branch that used to be 100 pounds can be 150 pounds.”
“If we can get in before the winds and rain, or before the defect gets large, we can potentially mitigate it with pruning,” Brown said.
He recommends looking for heavy, overgrown branches. The farther the branches go out, the likelihood of branch failure increases, according to Brown.
Brown urges homeowners and property owners with large trees to keep up with proper pruning and to get a tree risk assessment by a professional.
