Along with all the snow that has fallen in Calgary over the past few days, there has been a significant amount of wind. The damage to the utility poles around Alberta is a testament to the storms strength. We saw a few damaged trees as a result. A few trees with weak branch or stem attachments had broken like the one pictured below.
Fallen Maple Stem (SW Calgary, April 29 2010)
Falling Trees
We also saw some trees that were actually uprooting at the base. This is a scary situation when the trees is leaning towards a building or other obstacle. That’s exactly what we ran in to in the South East of Calgary. These trees appeared to have problems growing roots outside of the initial planting hole. When combined with the extremely wet conditions and wind, they started to blow over.
Fallen-Uprooted Tree (Fish Creek April 2010)
Fallen-Uprooted Tree (SE Calgary April 29 2010)
We took a short video with our digital camera before we had to cut this tree down as it looked like it might fall any time. It was leaning right over a house. The video below shows the base of the tree, as the wind blows the water is sucked down under the root ball and as the gust dies down, the water is forced back to the surface. Click on the link below to see the video.
Leaning-Tree-SE-Calgary-April-29-20101 Video Clip
More to Come
In the coming weeks we will do a few posts on what to look for when it comes to tree failure. By giving your tree a good visual inspection you may be able to identify weak points. But if ever you are unsure about a tree, it is best to contact and ISA Certified Arborist to come out and inspect it as they are trained and experienced in what to look for when it comes to tree hazards.
