JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — With more rain headed our way, that will likely mean more downed trees across the metro.
Channel 2’s Wendy Corona met with a tree expert Wednesday to learn about the signs that a particular tree could be in trouble.
Chris Heim with Davey Tree Company took Corona on a walk through some woods in Johns Creek to point out the signs of possible issues.
“Larger, sizable limbs could do property damage or human damage,” Heim said. “There's no doubt that in storms, sometimes dead branches will fall.”
Heim said some care for trees early on could make a big difference when a storm hits.
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“People really need to start pruning their trees when they are young to create a strong branching structure,” Heim said.
He pointed out a tree that had a V shape to it. Heim told Corona said that can be reinforced with a cable to strengthen the entire tree.
“So, when the wind blows, instead of those two doing their own thing and kind of working on that attachment area, that V, it all moves as one unit,” Heim said.
He also suggested looking to the ground to see the root crown. If it's covered, it could be causing decay and create a structural weakness.
“We normally see when a tree fails or large limb fails in a storm, there was a pre-existing defect there,” Heim said.
Corona said they didn’t come across fungal growth, or mushrooms near the base or on any trees-- which is a good thing.
“Most of the time, that fungal growth is coming from decaying wood. It's an indicator that there's some kind of decay going on in that tree or in the roots,” Heim said.
Just like with humans, there are health care programs trees can undergo, including soil therapies.
Heim told Corona it may be harder to notice health issues now, but when leaves begin to sprout, they’ll be more apparent.
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