NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After a week of wind and rain, people were eager to get outside and enjoy the sunshine on Friday.
The weather is nice, but the water remains.
During a walk through Sevier Park, arborist Lukas Suzano of Davey Tree Services said too much water causes trees more harm than good.
"So when we have very high levels of rain, such as we have been experiencing lately, that can saturate the soils," said Suzano. "It can expedite decay in trees and encourage fungal activity."
Roots anchor trees and keep them from falling over, but high winds and rain make them more vulnerable.
"What you've noticed in the surrounding areas is that trees can topple over, and that will usually stem from a poor root system due to too much moisture in the soil," said Suzano.
Pine trees and evergreen trees have shallow root systems, so he said those tend to fall faster.
A rock bed underneath a tree can cause a shallow root system, and decay can go undetected.
"Some decay happens within the tree, which makes it a lot more difficult to determine from a visual inspection," said Suzano. "Using a mallet to actually sound around the base of the tree, listening for different spots such as dead spots."
As a District Manager for Davey Tree Services, Suzano said you often see downed trees with the roots still attached. That means water loosened the tree underground. But trees snapped off at the base indicate rotted roots couldn't hold up the tree.
Older trees are also more susceptible to higher damage, like stress fractures, toppling over, or branches falling off.
"Older trees, if they have been impacted by severe weather or excessive rain, if they get damaged or injured, it takes them longer to recover," said Suzano. "If you go through an extreme weather event, that would spark more of a concern or priority to have your trees or property looked at."
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at (Kim.Rafferty@newschannel5.com).
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