'Up With Trees' Helping Tulsa Homeowners Evaluate Damage From June Storms

The Father's Day weekend storm brought widespread damage to trees across Green Country.

Many homeowners were impacted and reached out to Up With Trees for help. 

"The wind forces that came through, we had trees completely top over, fall over, we had trees split up, we had branches break off," said PSO Utility Forester and Up With Trees board member, Alanna Cooper.

The damage drew comparisons to the 2007 ice storm. "It is similar, but it was a completely different time of year," said Up With Trees Program Director Taylor Melone. "Trees this time of year still have all of their foliage on it, which is a lot of additional weight, that did not help when it came to all of the damage."

The environmental organization is a major part of the clean-up effort and suggests homeowners start at the root to assess tree damage. 

"That root system is extremely important for that tree. It is where nutrients are stored, where nutrients and water uptake, and we have a lot of gas exchange as well and it is our anchor for the tree to keep it upright. If we have damage to that root system, we are looking at removal," said Cooper. 

She said trunk damage is another major issue. "The trunk of the tree is your structural support. We start compromising that, we are really compromising the overall health of the tree and putting our property and people at risk."

However, not all damaged trees are damaged goods.

"A healthy tree before the storm - if it had a good canopy on it, leaves were correct, they were the right shape and color and nice and dense and full - those trees are going to recover a lot smoother and a lot quicker than a tree that was already showing signs of decline," said Cooper.

In that case, Up With Trees proposes a simple pruning. Melone adds, "It is possible to preserve your tree if you can make those proper pruning cuts, get an arborist out to really assess your tree, and see what you need to do to get it to survive as long as possible."

If you have questions about a tree in your yard, email trees@upwithtrees.org and include photos of the damage.