Trees got you stumped?

If storms disrupted your landscape, here's a guide for replacing trees.

By L.A. Jackson
Correspondent

Posted: Saturday, May. 07, 2011

More Information

These trees are storm-hardy, not storm-proof, so resist the temptation to plant them close to structures. Babying them for the first year or two until they are established is a good way to ensure strong trees in the years to come.

American dogwood (Cornus florida). Although care must be taken to properly establish this small tree, once it is comfortable in the landscape, it is a dependable performer with wood that is as hard as it gets in the plant kingdom. Two close cousins, the Kousa Dogwood (Cornus Kousa) and Cornelian Cherry (Cornus Mas) also share its characteristic tough wood.

River birch (Betula nigra). This native beauty does well in wet, low-lying areas.

Red oak (Quercus rubra). A relatively fast-growing oak that sports a sound root foundation and impressive wind resistance. The English oak (Quercus robur) is related and often used in windbreak rows.

Red maple (Acer rubra). A go-to tree for landscape areas that have poor draining or compacted soil.

Ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana). This small tree has very hard wood, meaning it also has superior wind resistance, and as a bonus, it is tolerant of wet soil.
Here are some trees that are trouble because of frail limbs, shallow root systems or both. Note that some of these trees are undesirable anyway in a planned landscape because of their invasive nature.

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum). A mature silver maple is the poster child for weak, brittle limbs, and its root system tends to be shallow. In addition, it is susceptible to diseases and insects.

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima). Not only is this an invasive exotic, but it is another tree with brittle wood and shallow roots.

Weeping willow (Salix babylonica). A big, broad beauty with sweeping limbs that are susceptible to cracking as they grow older and a shallow root system that strains to keep a mature tree upright.

Russian tea olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). The bigger this pretty (but invasive) tree gets, the more fragile its limbs become.

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). A tall, aggressively spreading tree that, at maturity, can be toppled due to shallow roots.

Norway maple (Acer platanoides). This invasive maple that was introduced from Europe has a shallow root system that makes this tree a prime candidate to fall over in high winds.

White mulberry (Morus alba). A fast-growing, invasive introduction with a double whammy - shallow roots and weak limbs.

'Bradford' pear (Pyrus calleryana). It is a popular ornamental tree that is notorious for breaking branches as it reaches maturity. It also can be invasive.

Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin). Another invasive, this is a short-lived tree, mainly because its limbs are weak, and the chance of breakage increases as they grow larger and spread.

Boxelder (Acer negundo). Actually a maple, this tree shares the same frail limb qualities of its cousin, the silver maple. It also is an insect and disease magnet.

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). Its thin bark makes this tree susceptible to disease, which could damage limbs that are subject to splitting even when they are healthy.

The tornadoes that recently ripped through parts of North Carolina and the Southeast demonstrated there's no such thing as a permanent landscape. Whether from a tornado, a hurricane or an ice storm, our yards are occasionally at risk of being raggedly rearranged by Mother Nature.

Does this mean you should swear off enjoying trees, and settle instead for wide, monotonous swaths of centipede grass? Certainly not. The advantages of trees in the landscape are numerous, and they add real value to your home if you plant wisely. Here's what to consider in the aftermath of a storm:

When to plant: The best time to plant woody ornamentals is late fall and into the winter, so if your landscape took it on the chin in the recent storms or you simply want to rejuvenate the look of your yard, now is a good time to develop a sound plan to incorporate the right trees into your green world. Plan now, plant later.

Where to plant: With proper planning, you can minimize the chance that trees will come crashing down in the wrong place. Situating tall trees close to a house is not a good idea for obvious reasons, but think twice about planting trees on steep slopes close to structures, as erosion could expose roots and accelerate instability.

Also, beware of planting trees next to a driveway or sidewalk: Not only could it fall, but a large root ball might rip up big, costly chunks of asphalt and concrete.

For the same reason, first locate water, sewer, electrical and television cable lines. Avoid plopping trees on these areas, to prevent grasping roots from pulling up more than dirt during the next mega-storm.

Unsure where your utilities are? Call 800-632-4949 before you dig. If you think you are about to dig close to underground lines, state law requires you to call first anyway.

Some trees will be close enough to houses to make the sizzle of the summer sun more bearable. To reduce the chance of one being blown onto the house, once a year examine all lower, older limbs - particularly those hanging over the house, shed or driveway. If large branches start to develop cracks or fail to leaf out, have a trained arborist take them down before a windstorm does.

What to plant: Trees such as mimosa and silver maple are unsuitable for planting close to any structure because they have weak or brittle limbs that are prone to break in high winds. This doesn't mean you shouldn't plant them - just tuck them away in a corner of the yard where any snapping, crackling or popping won't do damage. Weakness below ground also can cause trouble. Some woody ornamentals such as black locust and Norway maple are notorious for their shallow root systems, which makes them top-heavy and bottom-weak as they mature, not a good combination when Mother Nature comes howling with a vengeance!

There are, of course, landscape trees that are more resistant to nature's destructive whims, including red oaks, dogwoods, river birches, ironwood and red maples. Provided they are healthy, that is. Diseases, insects and root rot can bring down even the mightiest of trees. So inspecting your trees should be a yearly chore. And springtime is the best time because if a tall boy leafs out poorly, something is probably wrong.

Finally, keep in mind that even the toughest of trees have at least one strike going against them in this area - red clay. This compact goo makes many trees struggle to establish strong root systems, so often, a mature tree is held precariously aloft by an immature root system.