Every year, storm season rolls into coastal areas and surrounding like clockwork. The winds howl, the rains pour, and just like that—trees come crashing down on roofs, fences, cars, and powerlines. As an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist and ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist who’s seen the aftermath firsthand, I can tell you this: most of that damage? Completely preventable, and the research supports this as well!
Trees don’t just fall out of the blue. They give signs—if you know where to look. Weak root systems, cracked limbs, hidden decay, poor pruning history—These types of warning signs turn up frequently during my remote consultations. Much like telemedicine gave doctors the power to diagnose without a stethoscope in the room, arboriculture has evolved too. You no longer need a hard hat at your doorstep to know if your tree is about to betray you. With Arborist On Demand, you can get a professional risk assessment from the comfort of your couch—no ladder required.
What Makes a Tree Fail in a Storm?
Trees fail when their structural integrity is compromised, often by easy-to-fix maintenance issues. Here’s a few weak signs that I check for during a digital arborist consultation:
- Co-dominant leaders (two stems competing): This weak junction is prone to splitting under stress. typically the branch union is small and the limbs are close or the same in size.
- Included bark: Looks like a seam down the trunk—causes poor attachment and high break risk. again, this can often be seen at the top of a very narrow branch union.
- Decay: Not always visible, but can often be detected through sounding (tapping the trunk with a mallet). during a digital arborist consultation, we can often help guide you through this using a simple rubber mallet.
- Previous topping or lion’s tail pruning: Makes the canopy unbalanced and more vulnerable to wind-throw. Oover pruning and thinning can lead to decay points where large limbs were removed, leading to failure.
- Girdling roots: Roots that wrap around the trunk can choke the tree from the inside. This can “unalive” trunk and root tissue right near the tree leading to whole-tree failure
- Soil compaction: Roots need air as much as water—compacted soil can suffocate them and lead to the promotion and growth of fungal pathogens that can decay and weaken the root systme.
These things may sound minor—until the next big storm exposes them.
What Can You Do About It?
You’ve got two options:
- Wait and hope.
- Address the problem pro-actively.
That’s where our Digital Arborist Consultations come in. You upload photos or hop on a video call with me, and I walk you through a risk assessment just like I would if I were there in person.
I’ll tell you:
- If your tree is safe
- If it needs pruning or structural support
- If it’s time to remove it before nature does it for you … regardless of the consequences.
I back my assessments with over a decade of experience, ISA and ASCA credentials, and a love for saving trees when possible.
Real Stories, Real Damage
Last year, a homeowner in League City lost a 60-foot water oak that crushed their pergola. A $12,000 repair. The kicker? It had visible decay and lion’s tail pruning—both things we could’ve flagged and acted on.
Another client in Pearland booked a consult just days before Hurricane Beryl. We identified two dead limbs hanging over their carport and a limb with a weak attachment point —$600 in pruning later, and they avoided a nearly $6,000 insurance deductible.
The difference is awareness as well a identifying and mitigating structural weaknesses before catastrophe strikes!
Ready to Know the Truth About Your Tree?
It’s time to stop guessing and start assessing. Let’s figure out whether your tree is an asset—or a ticking time bomb.
👉 Visit www.arboristondemand.com and book your Digital Arborist Consultation today.
You don’t have to wait for a disaster to happen.
Let’s make sure your “green pets” weather the storm, keeping you AND your trees safe and sound!
My Best,
Matt Latham – Consulting Arborist
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist #TX-3737B
ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist #859
ASCA Tree & Plant Appraisal Qualified
713.385.7040 | ma************@***il.com
www.arboristondemand.com
