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In This Issue

Hurricane effects on palms

Uprooted trees

Irma splits trees down the middle

Managing trees for wind endurance

Hurricane Irma Thrashes Florida Sunday, September 10th the eye of Hurricane Irma made landfall in Cudjoe Key as a Category 4 with sustained

winds of 130 mph, then continued on to Marco Island where she made a second landfall as a Category 3 at 115

mph. From there the storm ripped through the state ruining homes, flooding cities and knocking out power to

more than 60% of Florida’s residents and businesses. Many properties maintained by Mainscape in Florida sus-

tained substantial damage to trees and plants in the landscape.

Thank You

“So many homeowners have expressed their appreciation through

kind words or offering a bottle of water or a snack”

The entire Mainscape team has been working diligently to clean up properties in the aftermath of Irma so regular

services can resume. It is truly amazing to see people come together during trying times to help each other. So

many homeowners have expressed their appreciation through kind words or offering a bottle of water or a snack

to team members as they work long hours and weekends to get the job done. We are truly blessed to have such

a dedicated team, many of whom have also been coping with lack of power, damages to their own homes or

even displacement due to Hurricane Irma, yet they have persevered. We are thankful for them and to you, our

customers for lifting them up during this challenging time.

NEWSLETTER SPECIAL EDITION SEPTEMBER 2017

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Uprooted Trees An enormous number of trees were uprooted during Hurricane Irma. Over

the past couple weeks Mainscape experts have been evaluating fallen

trees (and palms) to determine which ones may have a chance of survival

if up-righted and staked.

Trees with large broken roots Unfortunately, many mature trees could not be saved because multiple

large life-sustaining roots were broken. The likelihood of trees surviving

long term after such major root loss is very low. Essentially if a tree’s

“plumbing” is compromised enough it cannot pull sufficient water from the

soil and upward through the trunk to supply the branches and leaves and

sustain metabolism. Furthermore, large woody roots do not function or

regenerate when they are broken. Decay is inevitable, which will eventual-

ly move into the base of the tree if the break is very close to the trunk.

Many small trees or larger ones with no signs of large roots broken as de-

scribed above were up-righted and staked to try and save. Staking will be

removed after 1 year to prevent injury to tree trunks as they grow.

Irrigation of staked trees Numerous small feeder roots are disrupted when trees are uprooted. Un-

like large woody roots, these roots can regenerate. Fallen trees that have

been staked will receive extra irrigation water through bubblers over the

next year or so to promote establishment of new roots.

Treatments to promote growth and recovery Mainscape is doing everything possible to give up-righted trees the best

chance of survival. Proposals are being provided to Property Manage-

ment as tree staking is completed for treatments to promote growth and

recovery. Though there is no guarantee that any fallen tree will survive,

we are optimistic that along with additional irrigation the recommended

regimen will be very helpful.

Hurricane Effects on Palms Palms tattered during the hurri-

cane may be missing fronds and

look unsightly, however many will

survive.

As long as the bud or “heart” of

the palm at the top of the trunk is

still in tact, new leaves will emerge

and grow into fronds forming a

new canopy over the next several

months.

A palm will not survive if the bud is

snapped, split or toppled side-

ways.

Strong winds may weaken bud

tissue or cause tiny cracks that

can expose the internal bud to

moisture and allow the entry of

decaying bacteria and fungi. For

this reason, it is common after a

hurricane to see at least a few

palms recover, then decline from a

bud rot up to two years later.

The Mainscape team will monitor

palms for recovery and propose

removal of any that do not survive.

Royal palms tattered by Hurricane Irma

Multiple uprooted 8 to 12 inch caliper magnolia trees in a common area

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A tree with co-dominant stems that failed during Hurricane Irma

Irma splits trees down the middle Evaluating the damage from Hurricane Irma, it is impossible to ignore the fact

that countless trees in the path of the storm failed at the weak point where two

trunks once met in the middle. These tandem trunks growing upward from a

single point of origin are called “codominant stems”. Codominant stems are

risky business in urban settings because you never know when one may fail or

what will be in its way.

Codominant stems occur when narrow-angled branch-

es are left to grow until they eventually reach the same

size as the original trunk. As the tree matures and the

trunks grow wider, the points of connection becomes

relatively small in comparison to the enormous weight

of the large trunks it must support. In many cases bark

becomes embedded between the stems making the

connection even weaker. This is called “included

bark”. It looks like a seam extending below the point

where two trunks meet.

These weak points often give way during strong wind events, however there

are many mature trees with codominant stems that didn’t fail during Hurricane

Irma. The trouble is you never know which ones will reach their breaking point

or when. It could even happen on a perfectly calm day, especially if there is

internal decay at the point of connection. It’s hard to tell if this is the case just

by looking at trees.

Read on to find out how to manage codominant stems...

“Co-dominant

stems are risky

business in an

urban setting.

You never know

when one may

fail...”

Included bark looks like a

seam extending below

where two trunks meet.

The point of connection is

embedded in between

codominant stems...

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Contact Us

Contact us to learn more

about our services.

1-800-481-0096

www.mainscape.com

Managing Urban Trees for Wind

Endurance It can be difficult or impossible to correct mature trees with large codomi-

nant stems, however there are bracing techniques that can reduce the risk

of breakage. If codominant trunk positioning poses a potential risk to peo-

ple or property in the event of the tree splitting at the stem union, consider

consulting a tree company to discuss bracing options.

Tree trimming should be more than just raising and thinning

Young trees should be pruned to eliminate codominant stems and achieve

a stable structure with a single trunk. This type of “structural” pruning re-

quires planning and typically occurs over several years. It is often over-

looked, however it is important to consider for the long term performance

and safety of trees in a community setting. Mainscape’s Certified Arborist

can help with this.

Trees pruning specifications matter!!!

Tree trimming without well-articulated specifications is like setting sail in

uncharted waters without a compass.

Here are some tips to ensure quality work and met objectives:

Consult with a Certified Arborist to help clearly define the long and

short term goals of your tree trimming program.

Have a Certified Arborist help write tree trimming specifications and

review them each time tree trimming is done.

Be sure the pruning objectives are clearly defined in the specs and re-

viewed with prospective contractors before getting bids for the work.

Verbiage matters—specs should use terminology consistent with ANSI

A-300 Standards and BMPs for Tree Pruning and require contractors to

follow these standards.

Specs should require that all OSHA and ANSI A300 Standards for

safety are followed.

Be sure contractors are licensed and insured and trained to meet the

specific pruning objectives.

“We are in the relationship business”

High Quality Landscaping

Award-winning Services

Outstanding Staff

Cutting Edge Technology

Exceeding Expectations

Let our Certified Arborist

help develop your tree

management plan and

detailed specifications!