High winds like we have had over the last few days here in Terre Haute can leave your trees damaged. Most of the damage this time of year comes from broken or downed limbs. Its important to know that just because your tree has downed limbs, it does not mean the tree is mortally wounded. If your tree is overall healthy, there is a good chance that the tree could be saved.
If you have an overall healthy tree that still has a majority of its limbs remaining and its not creating a safety hazard to your home or other structure, it will most likely recover. A tree that has atleast 50% of its crown remaining and limbs stands a good chance of survival. Without a good number of limbs remaining, the tree would not be able to produce enough leaves to nourish itself through the growing season.
If your tree has a good amount of limbs remaining and the leader (main trunk) is intact, we recommend trying to save the tree. On the other hand, if your tree has a split trunk, less than 50% of the crown remaining or void of the majority of its limbs, then it may be best to remove the tree. We always encourage to save a tree if possible, but if not, for safety it should be removed. Taking it a step further, we also recommend planting another tree close by if possible.
Trees are very important to our environment and we hope you do your part to maintain your current trees and keep them healthy and plant new trees when possible.
