– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
The past week brought additional trials associated with winter weather across the state. Freezing rain, sleet, and snowfall impacts varied drastically across the region and county with different degrees of hazardous conditions posed to our citizens. Along with concerns for travel, power outages associated with ice load on powerlines and down trees created safety concerns for residents and left behind a mess of debris to clean up. If you have the chance to thank a staff member of your power generation and transmission service or a road worker, please do. In times like these, they are the true heroes that keep us safe, warm, and carrying on with our daily lives.
If you were in an area that received freezing rain, you likely have a mess of woody material to clean up on private property. It can be a daunting but necessary task. It can also be extremely dangerous. Trees that are already weakened by the weight of ice and snow may have residual branches drop without warning. If the ice and snow have not thawed yet, even falling ice and snow off branches in the wind can be a safety hazard. Only clear what is absolutely necessary while ice and snow are still present. Wait until weather conditions improve and thaw occurs before beginning clean up on areas that do not pose an immediate threat to people or structures.
You may encounter situations where an entire tree has fallen or where a tree has taken so much damage that it will pose additional threats in the future as it gradually dies. Decisions on tree removal are best to be discussed with a trained arborist. Hiring a professional tree removal service is wise, especially when trees are near structure or roads. Landowners can proactively reduce storm damage risks to landscape trees by pruning trees appropriately and initially selecting trees that will fit in the landscape over the long term.
Purdue Extension has an excellent fact sheet available to help landowners decide how to deal with storm damaged trees and how to prevent storm damage with cultural practices. It can be accessed online at https://go.osu.edu/purduetreesandstorms.
We only have six more weeks until spring arrives! Continue to stay safe and well as we ride out the rest of winter!