Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. The trees around your home can either ride out a storm or end up on your roof, and much of the difference comes down to what you do before the season starts. Here's a simple checklist for Broward homeowners.
1. Walk Your Yard and Look Up
Look at every tree within falling distance of your house, pool cage, fence, cars and power lines. Note anything that looks off.
2. Remove Dead Trees and Dead Limbs
Dead wood is brittle and breaks first. A dead tree near your home is the single biggest storm risk on most properties. How to tell if a tree is dead.
3. Thin Dense Canopies
A thick canopy catches wind like a sail. Thinning lets wind pass through instead of pushing the whole tree over. This is especially important for live oaks, ficus and black olives, which grow dense here.
4. Clear Branches Off the Roof
Limbs over your roof can punch holes in shingles and tile when they break. Cut them back well before storm season.
5. Clean Up Your Palms
Remove dead fronds, seed pods and coconuts. Loose coconuts and fronds become flying debris in high winds. But don't strip off healthy green fronds, since that weakens the palm. When to trim palms.
6. Check for Warning Signs
- A new lean, or soil lifting on one side of the trunk
- Cracks or splits in the trunk or major branches
- Mushrooms or fungus growing at the base
- Roots that are exposed, cut or damaged
7. Don't Wait for the Forecast
Once a storm shows up in the cone, every tree crew in South Florida gets booked solid, and some won't be able to get to you in time. The best time to schedule is spring, before the season starts.
8. Know What to Do After a Storm
Stay away from downed power lines and anything touching them, take photos for insurance before cleanup, and don't try to cut storm-damaged trees yourself. Trees under tension can spring back violently. Emergency tree service.
Get Your Trees Storm-Ready
Text photos of your trees to (954) 730-1776 for a free price range on storm prep trimming anywhere in Broward County.
Related: Tree Trimming | Palm Trimming | Tree Removal