Woodland Park Zoo WTO Committee Prepare your Trees for Winter Trees can be badly damaged during severe winter storms. Sometimes, however, trees are not able to compensate for catastrophic events, and a failure occurs. By identifying problems and dealing with them before winter storms occur, some emergencies can be avoided. Trees that have been planted by abutting property owners are the maintenance responsibility of the current abutting property owner.
Large trees are an extremely valuable asset to both the individual property owner and the community.
An investment in pruning or inspection can help prevent damage from wind, snow or ice, and help preserve those irreplaceable older trees that add so much to the character and heritage of our city. If your trees are located within the street right of way, you can request inspection by City of Seattle personnel. According to Nolan Rundquist, Arborist for the City of Seattle, strategic pruning to prevent branch failure is a good idea for both the trees and the people who live around them. He knows first hand that the time invested in preventative maintenance is well spent. Trees that are pruned regularly should be more resistant to storm damage as a result of the removal of structurally weak branches, decreased surface area of lateral branches and decreased wind resistance.