New Mexico’s windy season is upon us: are your trees ready?

New Mexico’s windy season is ready to blow in with a blast! Are your trees ready? As an arborist, every year during wind storms I get emergency calls from frantic tree owners. I have seen whole trees and large limbs fail and fall on homes, vehicles, and other structures, causing thousands of dollars of damage.

Having your trees professionally evaluated and pruned before the heavy winds (or early in the season) can reduce the risk of costly broken branches. Not all potential failures can be seen or remedied, but many situations are obvious to an experienced arborist, and can be dealt with prior to a wind-induced failure. Typically, when an arborist assesses a tree for pruning, weak branches or branches with poor attachment would be pointed out for remediation. Thinning or weight reduction on long heavy horizontal branches might be suggested.

Having your trees cared for by an ISA-certified arborist isn’t without cost, but it is a lot less expensive than neglecting the maintenance of your trees and possible having a storm related failure resulting in costly damage to your home, car, or other structures. And it could save your tree from a limb failure that might necessitate the removal of the whole tree due to the compromise of the structural integrity of the trunk of the tree.

Please note that working in trees is dangerous and should be left to professional arborists. They have the specialized equipment and training to get the job done safely.

Get your trees ready. Then batten down the hatches and prepare for the onslaught of the upcoming winds.