The number one question I am hearing right now is, “Why are my trees breaking?” In some cases it’s a large limb and other cases it’s the entire tree. Clients are also asking if there are problems with their trees because they have heard “popping”.
Yes, there is a problem! This year we are experiencing a phenomenon called “Barking” more than normal. This is where trees are actually splitting and/or spitting out bark with a large noise. All of this is related to the extreme weather conditions we incurred this summer with the heat, wind, sunlight and most of all the lack of moisture. All trees responded differently, and many suffered. If you have a species of tree that is not indigenous to this area, it probably suffered more than most. Take the Maples for example; Sugar, Silver Leaf and Reds all suffered, but in different ways and that is because of their tolerances. Sugar and Silver Leaf trees which are not indigenous and grew in the north, suffered the most…. Even in the older established trees in parts of Plano, Lewisville, Carrollton, and Desoto areas. These trees, if not watered appropriately at 10-15 gallons per diameter inch per watering, are suffering greatly. Missing just one watering is enough to cause serious injury. Dehydration in trees is a life altering event, and may require several growing seasons to recover. The number of trees that have defoliated and/or died is staggering. Clients who have been educated by Arborists specializing in tree health and care about the risks of improper watering were more successful in saving their trees. Although some of the Maples did not completely defoliate, we are now facing breaking limbs and entire trees with the renewed rains.
As the trees are re-hydrating, and in some cases too quickly, the stress of the increased (water) weight and other factors such as tree vitality come into play. Most of the breaking limbs and falling trees are the non-native species. These species almost all have secondary infections related to the failure such as rots, decays and insect infestations (borers). I mention this because when dealing with these species that are out of their range, they are most likely dealing with a number of stress related issues. That is exactly why they don’t grow here. Another example would be our native Red Maple, although it is native to Texas, our state is 800 miles across. The Red Maple it is only native to East Texas where the soils are sandy, acidic and weather conditions are more favorable (moisture).
What do you have to do to save your trees? Take the first step by contacting an ISA Certified Arborist, a Board Certified Master Arborist or Registered Consulting Arborist. These are your experts in Tree Care who will be able to diagnose the situation and recommend the correct path to recovery.