Page 43 - AreaNewsletters "June'19" issue

O U T D O O R L I V I N G / H O ME & G A R D E N
Oh sNOw!!!
Information provided by
Storm damage
is very common in
Colorado. We see heavy
snows, high winds,
and hail throughout
the year. Late season
snow storms \[like Castle
Rock just had\] can
wreak havoc on our
landscapes, particularly
trees. Heavy, wet snow
collects on branches
causing them to break.
If you su ered damage
to your landscape in this
most recent storm, here are some things to consider.
The very first thing to determine is whether or not it is safe to approach the damaged tree. Check for downed power lines, or broken branches that may be about to fall from the
Late season snow storms \[like what Castle Rock just had \] can wreak havoc...
to consider hiring a certi ed arborist to take care of the damage if a ladder or chainsaw is required. If you are able to prune the damage yourself, use the three-cut method to prevent further damage. Make an under-cut 3-6” away from where the trunk meets the broken branch. Then make an over-cut 2-3” further down the branch
to remove the
majority of the
limb. Finally,
you will make an
angled cut just
outside of the
branch collar, do
not make a ush
cut. Never cover
or coat a pruning cut with anything as there is no shown bene t to the tree, and this can actually harbor disease.
Check out this short video for more information if you have damaged trees.
tree. Next, determine if it is safe to keep the tree in the long term. If there is only damage to a few lateral branches, the tree can probably be saved. However, if there is damage to the main trunk that tree could come down in the next storm, causing major damage to the area around it. Also, if there is more than 50% canopy loss the tree’s chance of survival goes down drastically. You may want
43
Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters • June 2019