How to Protect Young Trees from Wind Damage

Man, we have definitely dived headfirst into the fall stormy seasons. There’s been rain, wind, and lightning this week and it’s likely not to dissipate anytime soon. Windstorms can cause significant damage to any types of trees but especially young trees that have not developed a stable enough root system. If you’ve recently planted trees or your trees just have not established themselves that well there are some things to do to protect them during wind storms.

#1. Stake them.

Sturdy stakes will provide additional stability and structural support as the trunk grows. However, doing this too much could make the tree weaker overall. Allowing younger trees to flex in the wind can create a stronger tree and a stronger root system so this should be a permanent solution.

Read More: What to do if a tree uprooted?

#2. Plant the tree in groves.

This, of course, is a before the storm situation but if you can, plant trees closer together so they gain protection from each other. One lone bending tree in the wind is much more susceptible to getting ripped out than 5 trees bending together.

#3. Cover the tree.

Covering your trees does much more than just protecting it from frost or birds. It can really protect the tree from other forms of damage as well. Place the cover over the tree and tape the bottom down around the trunk. Keeping all the limbs and leaves together can make the whole tree stronger but be sure to remove it once the wind subsides.

More: 4 Ways to Clean up Leaves and What to Do with Them

#4. Pruning the tree.

Now is not the greatest time to prune unless all the leaves have fallen off, but pruning the tree to a manageable size can definitely help. If there are straggly branches whipping around it can cause the whole tree to move more than it needs to. By keeping all the branches trimmed in tight, it can keep the tree moving together as a whole and stabilizing it better.

There are lots of ways to protect your tree. If you have a stable post on your house you can tie a string or twine around it to leave it in one place for a time. But remember, anything you do to a tree can permanently alter it so, make sure you don’t do anything to the tree that could damage it.

Call us if you have more questions on tree care in the Snohomish area.

By Robert Majetic (Flickr: L1030749) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons