By Mary Hightower
Cooperative Extension Service
U of A Division System of Agriculture
Media Contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uaex.edu
Dec. 4, 2013
501-671-2126
Fast facts:
 Winter storm warning, watch in effect for much of Arkansas
 Ice up to .25 inch expected (See: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lzk/)
(350 words)
Check trees to prevent potential damage from falling limbs, trunks
(Newsrooms: With 1204 IceStorm-Fireplaces, 1204IceStorm-TreeRepair)
LITTLE ROCK – With the potential for a significant layer of ice this weekend, homeowners need
to be examining their properties carefully to help prevent damage from falling trees or limbs,
said Tamara Walkingstick, associate director of the Arkansas Forest Research Center and an
extension forester for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
The state’s major snowstorm last Christmas may also have caused hidden damage, bending or
breaking the wood fiber under the bark, but not enough to prevent the branch from continuing to
grow.
“The damage is still there and the extra weight of ice or snow can cause the total failure of the
branch,” she said. “One way to tell is see if the branch is it bending more than it should, or if it
appears to be pointing more toward the ground than other branches.
“If one of these branches is over someone's home and it's small enough for them to prune or
remove safely, the homeowner might consider doing so to halt the chance of any damage,”
Walkingstick said.
In addition, the danger for falling trees may be slightly increased by the ground-softening rains
that have fallen in the last weeks.
“Soft ground means it’s easier for easier for wind and ice pressure to fell trees,” she said.
“Systematically inspecting trees allows you to find damaged or defective trees that could pose a
threat to people or property,” she said. “Sound trees can withstand stronger winds than
defective trees, so during storms the likelihood of tree failure is reduced.”
Walkingstick also said that certain fast-growing tree species are more vulnerable to tree
damage during storms. They include:
 Chinese elm
 Silver maple
 Sycamore
 Boxelder
 Bradford pear
 Poplars
 River birches
“While homeowners should avoid planting such species close to buildings, utility lines, fences or
anywhere potential damage could occur,” she said. “If such trees are already growing in these
locations, some preventive practices, such as pruning and bracing, or cabling, may help reduce
the potential of storm damage.
For more information on what to do after an ice storm, visit
http://www.arnatural.org/forestry/Ice_Damage/picking_up_after_the_storm.htm or contact your
county extension office.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
and offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion,
gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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