Well, needless to say, it’s been a soggy start to 2023 here in Metro Atlanta! All of our well-above-average rainfall and storminess has resulted in more than a little damage around the area, including from uprooted trees.
Even a smallish toppled tree can cause significant damage and annoying cleanup. And, of course, besides the threat posed to life, limb, and property, uprooted trees can degrade our property value – and sadden us with the loss of a beloved arboreal feature.
At Excel Tree Care, we provide across-the-board arboriculture services to customers all across the north Atlanta metro area. Those services include not only removing fallen trees, but taking steps to minimize the chance that still-standing ones might meet this fate in the next deluge.
Heavy Rains & Tree Uprooting
Heavy rainfall can cause uprooting via multiple factors. Precipitation falling at a very rapid rate and/or in voluminous quantity can overwhelm the soil’s and groundcover’s ability to absorb it, oversaturating the subsurface and destabilizing root systems.
And certain trees are more vulnerable to this kind of uprooting than others. Trees with shallow root systems—due, say, to inappropriate watering regimes, compacted soil layers, or simply genetic disposition—are more likely to fall over in waterlogged conditions.
The same goes for trees suffering from certain diseases and conditions, such as root rot, which weaken or damage their root systems.
Trees that are top-heavy or otherwise bear off-balance canopies are also more vulnerable to being uprooted in torrential rains.
Downpours in Atlanta, of course, also often come accompanied by strong winds, which can significantly increase the stress on tree roots already compromised by saturated soil and thus the odds of windthrow-style toppling.
Decreasing the Risk of Rainfall-Induced Uprooting
Carefully monitoring your trees’ conditions can help you lower the odds of uprooting in wet weather, though sometimes there’s nothing you can do to prevent the situation.
Frequent watering for short periods can encourage a tree to develop a shallow root system. Watering less frequently but for longer at each go will typically result in a deeper—and therefore more stable—root mass.
Watch for signs of root rot and other conditions. And execute judicious pruning (ideally by having experts do it!) to prevent imbalanced canopies.
Hazardous Tree Removal & Other Residential Tree Services in Atlanta From Excel Tree Care
Here at Excel Tree Care, we’re at your beck and call when it comes to staving off weather-induced tree uprooting through careful tree monitoring, tree limb removal, and other practices—or in terms of safely and thoroughly clearing up in case one or more of your trees does topple with heavy rains.
Our services include emergency tree removal available 24/7. Don’t hesitate to get in touch over our website or by calling (404) 964-6508.