SAN DIEGO — When wind and rain swept through San Diego last month, dozens of trees fell across the county. With another high wind warning for the coastal areas Tuesday night through Wednesday, CBS 8 talked with a tree expert about telltale signs a tree is in danger of falling.
“You want to look at the top of the tree, at the ends of the branches. If you notice die back, brown things dead on the ends, there’s a good chance something is going on down below the surface,” said Daniel Kump, district manager for the Davey Tree Expert Company. “Looking for broken branches, things that look a little off, those are good things to key in on.”
CBS 8 caught up with Kump in Del Cerro where his tree service workers were busy performing preventative maintenance for a homeowner.
“We’re pruning some canary island pines, you can see, they’re the two tall ones that look like Christmas trees,” said Kump while pointing toward two trees in the backyard. “We’re actually thinning out the canopy to allow the wind to pass through. It makes the trees a lot safer. You have less likelihood of branches breaking, failing, trees falling over, things of that nature.”
In January, a series of storms toppled dozens of trees throughout the county, including 36 downed trees in Balboa Park alone, the main culprit being ground saturation from all the rain.
WATCH RELATED: High winds toppled dozens of trees in and around Balboa Park (Jan 2023):
“If we have moisture, wet soils, and you add in high wind, those are the perfect storm events where a tree that normally wouldn’t fail might be more at risk to fail,” said Kump.
CBS 8 paid a visit to Pioneer Park Tuesday where a giant eucalyptus fell over last month. The remnants still remain on the ground with barricades and caution tape around it, and with more winds on the way, some parkgoers are a bit worried.
“I’m very concerned because it’s a true hazard for the community at large,” said Vanessa Gwynne, who was walking her dog. “They can hit cars and people and pets and they’re very dangerous.”
Experts say some eucalyptus trees can tend to have shallow roots and carry risk of toppling during high wind events, but what about other types of trees, such as palms?
“If they have a lot of dead material, they can drop, causing injury to people, they can fail as well, not as often, but every tree is so different,” said Kump. “It’s just so crucial to have eyes on the tree and really figure out what’s going on and what the tree needs to keep it as safe and healthy as possible.”
Kump says palm trees around your house should be pruned annually, but others, such as pine trees, can be done every three to five years. He recommends having your trees evaluated once a year by a professional. He also says deep root fertilization is important for your tree’s resilience to encourage deeper, stronger rooting of the tree.