Checking trees for damage

After a severe thunderstorm tore through Ontario on Saturday, crews of arborists worked late into the night cleaning up damaged trees.

Tait Sala, director of Cohen & Master Tree and Shrub Services Ltd., was one of the arborists working to clean up. He said crews would be cleaning up damage for weeks.

How are trees damaged?

Strong gusts of wind can rip off tree branches with weak connections to the trunk, Sala said.

Sala noted most of the tree damage he saw Saturday night came from weak branch connections splitting off in the storm. Trees in full bloom are even more susceptible, he added.

“This would have been a very different storm if it was a month ago, but now that foliage is on trees, wind just catches like a sail,” Sala said.

Urban trees often have problems that make them prone to storm damage, Sala said. Because trees in the city often have lots of space, they can grow lots of long branches and trunks with several stems, he said. He said that often leads to weaker connections.

Sala said Norway maples often have long branches with weak connections. He added silver maple trees are also prone to storm damage because of their tendency to rot.

“Anywhere a tree was injured, or an old pruning cut, is an entry point for decay. So rot is going to develop inside the tree. That’s going to be a weak point,” Sala said.

“Even though the rest of the tree may be sound, that’s the point that’s going to break.”

How to find it

Outside of obvious split or fallen branches, Sala said after a storm trees can still be “quite precarious.”

“We’ll see that after a storm, pieces are falling out of trees and then finally they’re just hanging on by a few wood fibres. You get a slight breeze and the piece can pull out.”

If trees are drooping in a new way or have visible cracks, Sala said the tree might be damaged.

He added lots of leaf litter and tiny branches after a storm could indicate a tree has dead parts.

Exposed roots, hollow spots in a tree trunk and missing leaves or bark could also mean a tree is going to fall.

Dealing with damage

Toronto Urban Forestry can remove hazardous city trees and pick up their fallen branches. If a damaged city tree is dangerous, Toronto forestry’s website asks people to take photos and advise the city by calling 311.

Toronto Hydro will maintain trees near electrical wires, and can be reached at 416-542-8000.

If a damaged tree is on private property, the city asks residents to contact a certified arborist. It adds service providers should be contacted if a tree is interfering with cable, telephone or internet connections.

Toronto will pick up branch bundles a maximum of four feet long and two feet wide, according to the city.

Sala said an arborist is the best person to handle any tree damage.

“It’s very technical work. It takes a good team,” he said.

Preventing it from happening

Despite the damage that trees felled by a storm can cause, Sala said they are an important part of the city.

“We don’t want to make trees the bad guy and just start needlessly cutting them down,” he said.

The city’s website says residents should regularly have trees inspected for dead branches and structural weaknesses.

The city also says a “good practice” is to park vehicles away from trees before a storm.

Sala said tree trunks with multiple stems should be inspected by a certified arborist.

He added arborists can maintain and reinforce weaker trees so they can better withstand storms.

“Our trees are super important and valuable, they are a necessity in our city,” Sala said.

“Let’s make our trees safe. Let’s keep them healthy. We need to keep them around for generations.”