Save our Beautiful Shade Trees

This is another in a series of articles written about the new area program called Florida Yards & Neighborhoods.

Recently I heard a chain saw roaring just down the block from where I live. Upon further inspection I found a neighbor was having his beautiful shade trees topped; not a leaf was left on them and each tree had only a few short branches left.

This is not hurricane pruning - this is a crime! This topped tree will grow many weak branches that will not do well in future storms. Photo: Ed Ayen, UF/IFAS

Apparently the threat of hurricane damage from falling trees has created a demand for topping of shade trees. According to Dr. Ed Gilman, our tree guru and a professor in the Environmental Horticulture department of the University of Florida , “Allowing urban trees to be topped is misguided and would set back arboriculture in Florida 30 years.”

If you are considering topping your trees to prevent storm damage please consider that these trees, especially if they are natives, have evolved to survive hurricanes. Topped trees provide no shade until they fill out again, therefore creating a hotter urban environment, thus increased energy cost for air conditioning, more stormwater runoff, more leaching of nutrients, more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, less habitat for wildlife and they are not attractive. Topped trees are weakened, becoming more susceptible to disease and insect damage that can cause death.

Many environmentally friendly practices are available to reduce tree damage starting with proper selection of trees. Some of the trees that are native and better able to withstand wind damage are Cabbage Palms (Sabal palmetto), Live Oak (Quercus laurifolia), East Palatka Holly (Ilex attenuate), Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida ).

Proper tree placement is another factor; placing taller trees away from the home and power lines to prevent structural damage should one blow over in high winds. However, some reduction of tree canopies can be done if proper pruning techniques are used.

Trees planted this close to a building are a potential hazard. Graphic: Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS

Only small trees should be planted beneath wires; trees with narrow canopies can be planted within 40 feet of the wire. Graphic: Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS

Stop in at your local extension office for information on pruning landscape trees and shrubs. They also have a new brochure from the University of Florida titled “Assessing Damage and Restoring Trees After a Hurricane” which has excellent information on tree recovery should they be damaged by high winds. You may also obtain excellent information on urban tree care at the University of Florida web site: http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/stormprep.htm .

Large-maturing shade trees are a beautiful part of the Florida landscape. Their benefits far outweigh the possibility of storm damage from high winds.

If you are interested in having a Florida Friendly Yard please contact Ed Ayen at the Highlands County Extension Service office. Phone: (863) 402-6540 or email: edayen@ufl.edu . His office location is 4509 George Blvd. in Sebring, FL 33875-5837. The Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program is being implemented through your local county extension service in Highlands, Okeechobee and Glades County and is partially funded from Clean Water Act Section 319 funding from the U. S. EPA through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

More information is available on the Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on Florida Friendly Yards, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 08/24/2006 . This page is maintained by Dan Culbert