Trees By Judi Lloyd
There seems to be a trend here in Trent Woods to “clear cut” trees from home properties in fear of hurricane damage. We should be mindful that not all trees are highly susceptible to forceful winds. In fact, trees absorb much of the storm’s wind energy. If they are not there, your home could become the target. Of course, diseased or weak trees should be removed. Some of the factors to consider in removing a tree in your yard are: the age of the tree, loss of major branches or the presence of disease. An arborist is the best advisor for this decision and well worth the price. You can read the NCSU document: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-hire-a-tree-care-professional or contact the County Cooperative Extension at 633-1477 to find one.
The value of your home is affected by the landscaping and trees are a large part of that. They can directly influence your A/C costs, flooding potential and clean air.
If you must remove a tree, think carefully about a replacement. Some considerations are: the site (sun, shade or mixed), position (how close to your house), eventual height and spread at maturity and most importantly, choose from the list of wind resistant trees.
Avoid planting trees in the spring or summer. Planting in the late fall or winter will give a new tree time for root development before the brutal heat of our summers. Do plan to water adequately and deeply for the first year. Just like babies, young plants need some TLC until they are ready to be independent. If droughts occur, a long slow soak gets to the roots and doesn’t waste water.
Trees for our area with the highest wind resistance are: Cornus florida (flowering dogwood), Ilex cassine (dahoon holly), Ilex opaca (American holly), Lagerstroemia (indica crapemyrtle), Magnolia grandiflora( southern magnolia), Quercus virginiana (live oak), Taxodium distichum (baldcypress), Taxodium ascendens (pondcypress (and Sabal palmetto (cabbage palmetto).
Trees that should be situated appropriately due to very low wind resistance here are: Carya illinoinesis (pecan), Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip poplar), Quercus laurifolia (laurel oak), Quercus nigra (water oak), Ulmus parvifolia ( Chinese elm) and X Cupressocyparis leylandii (Leyland cypress).
Every tree supports wildlife in some fashion. Our very lives depend on the ecosystems that make for a healthy atmosphere.