May 30, 2007 11:27 pm US/Central
Windy Storms Topple Older Trees In North Texas
by Stephanie Lucero
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Some North Texas home owners are discovering too much rain can actually harm trees.
"The minute I stepped back into the house, [I heard] this big pop, and I went, 'Oh no,' and the lights went out," said homeowner P. J. Woodard.
Woodard and her next door neighbor Jean Costell both lost one of their precious trees.
Rotten, unhealthy, dead and dieing trees don't do well when the ground is saturated with water and the winds are excessive.
Some trees live no more than 20 or 30 years.
"Some Hackberries are at the end of their life span, and they're going to topple," said Jimmy Turner at the Dallas Arboretum. "If you have some older trees in your yard, right now is a good time to have them checked out."
According to the experts at the Dallas Arboretum, if you have older trees, you should check the color of their leaves.
If they're pale, if there is a rotten spot on the trunk or if there are dead branches, it's time to call an arborist.
If the tree and its root system are unhealthy, saturated soil and 40 to 60 miles-per-hour winds could topple or even break a tree in half.
You also need to be concerned about injuries to people. A big tree can shed huge branches if it's sick and dieing.
(CBS 11 News)
