Recently, over the last couple of decades, Tennessee has had a dramatic increase in tornadoes. Meanwhile, states that we traditionally consider part of “Tornado Alley” like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas have had a steep decline in the frequency with which they experience these frightening natural disasters. These were the findings of a study published in the fall of 2018 in the journal, Climate and Atmospheric Science. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has done research and doesn’t have a conclusive decision as to why this is, but NOAA warns that tornado season peaks in the spring around the month of May. Slightly more than half of Tennessee’s tornadoes per year occur in April and May; that’s 17 out of 29 tornadoes a year. This daunting new threat to prepare your home for, but Promier Tree is here to provide you with important information on how to take care of your property to get your trees ready for tornado season.
Trees can be a danger during tornado season
In order to prep your trees for tornado season, you should start with preventive maintenance. A healthy tree can withstand strong winds better. Pruning dead or damaged tree limbs will make your trees less brittle. And a brittle tree is more prone to disease and structural insecurities.
Caring for trees is not always about what you can see, however. Your tree’s roots should be inspected to ensure that a storm does not cause a weak tree to split or come out of the ground entirely. Making sure your tree has a sound root system, and inspecting the integrity of your tree’s limbs can be a complicated but highly recommended portion of preparation for weather events—not just tornadoes. In the likelihood that your trees are older with strong roots and well-cared-for appendages, your next protective measure is protecting them from lightning. A tall, mature tree can withstand strong winds, but it is more likely to be destroyed by lightning. Electricity conduction systems protect your tree through a copper connector attached to a rod in the ground. This rod moves the electricity produced when lightning hits a tree and redirects it into the ground. This will decrease the chances of your tree being destroyed, and reduces the chance of side-flashes to nearby structures.
Prepare your trees for tornado season in Kingsport
How can you know if your trees could be subject to any of these problems? The simplest answer is to have a professional arborist evaluate them, but if you would like to also look yourself, then here are some simple tips to determine your tree’s health:
- Check to make sure your tree isn’t touching or could not touch a power line
- Make sure your soil isn’t gravel, which is an indicator of poor root systems that will allow a tree to be unrooted easily
- For older trees, ensure that their tall, impossible-to-reach branches don’t sway or move in a normal wind.
Trees are a part of your property. Tornadoes are dangerous. These are things you know. Don’t be afraid to take the next step in saving yourself from these potentially destructive forces. Promier Tree can help with those premeditated steps in keeping your trees from becoming destructive forces during a natural disaster, so if you’re located in the Bristol, Johnson City or Kingsport, Tennessee, areas, contact Promier Tree at (423) 765-2626 to have a consultation with one of our arborists.