Ice storm 2014

Daniel

Daniel

Carpal tunnel level member
Location
Suburban Philadelphia (Wayne)
PA got hit hard.. around here it was a heavy wet snow, 9.5". Then two days later, while most of that snow was still on the trees, especially evergreens, came an ice storm. Freezing rain Feb 5. That alone wouldn't have been too bad, but combined with the weight of the existing snow, it was brutal. Big limbs down everywhere. Many trees too. Electricity was out for 3-4 days in many places. Downed wires and trees on roads blocked access. Worst storm we've had here in recent memory.

I'll post pics later.. Post pics here.

This was a great teaching in the importance of reduction pruning, which I have been promoting for years. My trees did great!

I could use some help.. anyone with a class B and bucket/climbing experience. Call after dark eight04...283...3214

Thanks
 
Sounds similar to Portland and the Willamette Valley south.

We got like 7 inches on the west side of Portland, but 30 minutes south, a man I know via photography, said they got over 12 inches of snow.

Our snow was mostly dry, falling in the low 20s.

Then yesterday, some freezing rain started falling too. Nothing that seems devastating to tree yet, but very slick on the streets.
 
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PA got hit hard.. This was a great teaching in the importance of reduction pruning, which I have been promoting for years. My trees did great!

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Please take pics, of the survivors!

People are asking "We had a bad ice storm and I am dealing with all the tears and stubs now. Time was I would have just made target cuts back at the trunk but have been really questioning this practice recently - and I understand that is a changing practice in the profession. So really I'm wondering how to best clean up these tears and stubs? These broken limbs are up to 6 feet away from the trunk or parent stem with no nodes in between. The limbs are all >8" at the attachment points. I would really like to avoid creating large decay columns at the trunk by making large collar cuts but I also struggle with leaving long stubs. (sorry, old dog/new tricks) Is there a current accepted procedure for cleaning up tears like this?"

Yes, make the smallest wounds possible, and remove the least living tissue possible. These go hand in hand.

"Got any articles or links to recommend?"

The 2002 piece still applies, attached.

SAMPLE PRUNING SPECIFICATIONS

#1. Scope: Storm-damaged trees on property

Objective: Improve stability and health. Minimize decay, weak attachments, heavy ends, and long-term maintenance.

Specifications:
Reduce all broken branches back to the first node that can support stable regrowth.

Identify nodes as growth points with laterals, buds, wrinkled bulges like branch collars, and other structures indicating branch protection zones. A change in taper (diameter) is the best indicator of a natural pruning target.

short answer: anyplace the diameter changes, make the smallest cut possible. Less removed is more effective.

Even if 100% of the branches are broken, If the trunk and the scaffold attachments are intact, the tree is likely to remain a longterm asset, with conservative care.
smile.gif
 

Attachments

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There's no pic there Guy.

[/ QUOTE ]The piece got reattached. Kinda goes with the avatar--both are from post-ice work, 12 years ago.

Most insurance claims will cover the REPAIR of trees that damaged a structure (house, fence, etc.) So if a falling branch scratched a shingle, pruning is covered.
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More pm Q&A "Thanks, I'll try to get some photos soon.

What is tripping me up I guess is that the limbs will look to be topping cuts, seemingly random cuts at the end of long stubs.

I'm also guessing that for limbs with tears the cuts should be made outside the start of the tear to reduce the size of exposed tissue area? Just like roots - better small clean cuts than long tears?"

A: Photos essential to document presence of buds or growth points. Show clients and critics that these are not random cuts at the end of long stubs. Use a hand lens.

Same principles for limbs with tears; #1 the less removed the better. This should be just crown cleaning.
Tears are typically on undersides of limbs, the areas that seal the best. Apply a sealant to lessen cracking and improve appearance. *This is not against the Standard!*

It's not just the size of exposed tissue area that matters. The amount of heartwood exposed that matters much more, because it seals much less. So a long tear with the grain is often better than a big cut across the grain. casebycase
 
I've got it. The end to the enthusiastic discussion about topping and reduction pruning. Guy is talking about trying to restore a tree damaged by nature. Topping is going through the neighborhood pruning trees like there was a bad ice storm when there was not. What we should do is get people that know what they are doing to work on trees out of the the ice storm zone and get the people that do not know what they are doing, but have a bucket truck and a chainsaw, to go chasing post ice storm work.
Sorry to oversimplify this discussion, but my plan may work. Daniel can decide who is on which team.
 
My research team did quite a bit of work on tracking storm injury and storm effects on survivor trees from the the 1998 regional ice storm in the northeast US. Some of the materials might help you folks describe effects and sell services to clients. I'd start with articles linked to:
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/6643
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/9408
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/9326
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/9349

We have another Forest Service paper "in press" on this same "tag and track" study.
Be aware that our sponsors for this work was forest utilization and silviculture, not arboriculture, but some of it might be useful.

Yes, here in Maine heavy snow is predicted as well, but it may well be worse in the Mid-Atlantic than northern New England.
 
Icy here too.

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I got ~7 calls this morning to come quick and top the pine over the single-wide, or some similar plea. Sorreeee....


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Ha ha. That's what it's like here when there's potential for a hurricane. It's almost a 'name your price' situation. Not that I'd do that.
 
Daniel, too early to ask how Ice Storm 2 is hitting you down there? Looks like it's going to be bad...what with all that snow, ice and then gusts of 30mph. Well...looks like there's not many more trees left to be damaged after #1.

Poor trees, and well - power lines, houses, fences, sheds, and just about everything.

Take care and stay safe everyone!
 
Thanks Kevin, there's lots in those observations to guide tree care; just gotta connect the dots.

The storm is just a sloppy mess here in NC; trees bent but not broken, not many power outages (yet) either. no complaints though!
 
Thanks Guy for the note, and we see a lot about NC and the Southeast in the news!

You are right, a lot of the work connecting the dots remains to be done.

Part of the problem is the crisis-oriented mentality. When bad storms hit, bringing the human infrastructure back safely is the top priority. In recent years, the stormproofing concepts and practices have gained ground, although I have a lot to learn on those points. What Wally Shortle and I have been trying to do is to look at the effects through time, particularly for northeastern forests that can be sure to be hit by an ice storm...on the decadal or multi-decadal level anyway. Our most recent paper, which is still in press and not "out", says that in rural and wild forests, the effects of the 1998 storm on tree mortality and productivity is pretty much "on track" with what you'd expect mortality to be in the absence of the storm.

Of course, in the urban and community environment, folks are rightly concerned about this tree here, over my house and garage, and not the population!

I can say that long term "hangers", broken branches in the canopy that continued to fall for several years after the storm, was what got me to wear a hardhat in the woods!
 
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Thanks Guy for the note, and we see a lot about NC and the Southeast in the news!

You are right, a lot of the work connecting the dots remains to be done.

Part of the problem is the crisis-oriented mentality. When bad storms hit, bringing the human infrastructure back safely is the top priority. In recent years, the stormproofing concepts and practices have gained ground, although I have a lot to learn on those points. What Wally Shortle and I have been trying to do is to look at the effects through time, particularly for northeastern forests that can be sure to be hit by an ice storm...on the decadal or multi-decadal level anyway. Our most recent paper, which is still in press and not "out", says that in rural and wild forests, the effects of the 1998 storm on tree mortality and productivity is pretty much "on track" with what you'd expect mortality to be in the absence of the storm.

Of course, in the urban and community environment, folks are rightly concerned about this tree here, over my house and garage, and not the population!

I can say that long term "hangers", broken branches in the canopy that continued to fall for several years after the storm, was what got me to wear a hardhat in the woods!

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KT,

You are a smart guy,
I'd like to introduce you to another smart guy my forester, Ralph Charles. You two would have a lot to talk about. He is old school, but I really feel you two are very similar. Please reach out to him, or if your are traveling south, he is the unelected mayor of Peaselyville, NY. I will PM you his contact info
 
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