Flood Damage Cleanup For Landscape Trees

Floods have caused severe damage to homes and properties amounting to millions of dollars. Forests have also been affected with several trees uprooted by the strong current and washed away by the floods. These trees are not just saplings or small varieties common to suburban areas. Some of these trees have been in existence in hills, forests and mountains for several decades and have reached hundreds of feet in height. If the natural power of water can do that to hills and forests, what more can it do for landscape trees in neighborhoods and homes. Flood damage cleanup would also be necessary in such cases.

Trees are living organisms that adapt to the environment and their circumstances. Landscape trees that have survived flooding will also receive some sort of shock to their system, similar to what people experience when a wall of water comes rushing in to meet them. Flood damage cleanup is necessary to restore conditions for the tree and put its habitat back to normal. If these activities are not done, it can contribute to the eventual deterioration of the tree and would make it difficult for it to survive the coming years.

Trees, like others in the plant kingdom, are almost inanimate in its mobility and physical reaction to external stimuli like floods. It would also be slow to exhibit symptoms of distress as a reaction to flooding. However, experts have established some signs of distress on trees that makes flood damage cleanup an urgent necessity. The most common sign is the yellowing of leaves or chlorosis. Similar to anemia in humans, chlorosis is a condition in plants and trees that make them produce insufficient chlorophyll, or the basic material that makes plants green. Anemia in humans indicates poor health, and so does chlorosis in plants.

Other symptoms that indicate the need for flood damage cleanup is that leaves fall even when the size of leaves are small, which is not normal. An abundance of watersprouts and other growths is also another indication, and diebacks at the tree's crown or top. Other indications of flood stress are the abundance of insect infestation that if uncorrected, can cause severe insect damage. Another indication is root rot, although this may be difficult to determine particularly if roots are not exposed.

Flood damage cleanup in trees include the removal of excess standing water at the base or at the roots. The roots of trees can only hold so much, and if submerged for a long time in floodwater, roots can also deteriorate and rot. Roots need oxygen for proper growth and excess floodwater can block air circulation to the roots. The same is true for excessive soil that has accumulated on the base or roots after the flood. It can also block oxygen, not only to the roots but to the microorganisms living in the soil that manages the nutrients necessary for good growth. The type of soil that has accumulated on the roots is also critical. Floodwater can bring along salinated soil. The extra sediments and salt can actually burn the roots and prohibit proper growth. Such indications require flood damage cleanup, including removal of standing water and excessive soil.

Proper care of trees is also necessary during flood damage cleanup of neighborhoods and communities affected by floods. A good environment can restore affected areas much faster, and bring normality to a community much quicker.

Seed Newsvine

Bookmark this article in your preferred program

Comments

Add Comment

Popular Articles in this cathegory

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.