damage your i HAVE mentioned previously the importance of reviewing your large trees, particularly those native varieties, to protect your home and family. We have now had our first strong wind storm of the year and have been callzi to remove several trees from houses. In each case, some damage to the building was sustained and we thought that a review of those trees which can cause severe damage or worse might be in order. . Douglas firs: Generally these trees do not fal! in their entirety; although, (as if to prove me yet both incidents happen. Cedar limbs are often very heavy and when they break, tney will 1 H } Tree Talk By Brian Fisher often tear off the main stem leav- ing an unsightly scar. Cedars are often very thick foliated trees and therefore act as a sail. The wind has less room to pass through the canopy of the tree than with some other species. One procedure that is helpful with larger cedars is to thin the canopy, removing about every second branch. This provides protection from wind damage and still main- tains the trees natural appearance. This, then, deals with the com- mon evergreens which may require your attention. Next week, I will review the common and _ native deciduous trees that may prove dangerous during winter storms. Questions? Or for our free brochure Tree Talk: Write: Tree Talk, c/o Alpine Tree Service Ltd., 42-121 Charles Se., North Vancouver, B.C, | | o | \, 15 ~ Friday, December 19, 1986 - North Shore News EARLY BOXING AY SALE Mode 385 Cash & Carry VMT 285 Cosh & Carry FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM 9:00 AM - 6:00 PA 2 wireless remote © 14 days four event © built-in converter e front loading ny 339 GOO © wireless remote ¢ 14 duys two event @ 80-position tuner automatic rewind oy 944.4400 wrong) three of the windfalls we have had from our first storm this year have been firs. Usually, Douglas firs have tap roots and the principal damage caused is from high heavy tops or branches snap- ping off. Needless to say, these heavy branches can cause considerable damage on their own. Spiralling -down from 80 or 90 feet, branches weighing several hundred pounds can pierce a roof or severely dam- age a car. OLDER FIRS Older Douglas firs usually have very few lower branches and a ‘mass of large branches at the top. . They seldom provide much in the way of shade or aesthetics to the homeowner and we think it is probably best to have them down. Douglas firs are pleasant trees untit they reach about 35 or 40 feet. Then they tend to start to sh- ed their lower branches. If you wish to keep a Douglas fir on your property, we recommend _ you have it properly topped when it reaches about 35 feet and main- tain it at that height. 2. Hemlocks: i reulty like | hemlock trees and often recom- mend them for hedges and screens. .Large hemlocks however are very unstable. They have shallow root systems and during a big wind they can literally twist themselves right out of the ground. Hemlocks can be maintained at up to 2: or 30 feet as an attractive shrub; Tall : trees, however, are just not suit- able for our urban environment. Lone hemlocks (like those often left in new home construction sites) are particularly dangerous. If you have one of these tall slim trees on your property, | suggest you seriously consider taking it down. Hemlocks that are unhealthy- have a tendency to cone up. That is the tree produces masses of cones. This is a sure sign that some action needs to be taken. 3. Balsam firs: We have less of these trees on the North Shore and very few large ones. Balsams tend to grow both large and wide and perhaps for this reason, we tend to tolerate them less and remove them before they become a problem. If you have a farge balsam, your danger is from broken limbs more likely than a fallen tree, although the smaller (up to 50’) trees stan- ding alone have been known to both snap in the trunk and pull out of the ground, SAFE CEDARS 4. Cedars: There are lots of cedars on the North Shore, in- cluding some very large ones. Cedars are less susceptible to fall- ing than hemlocks and less likely +to have, branch, breakage than firs,. . | Sy Gbver Design Home Fusnishing © & De g 14”* colour Cosh & Cony 14” colour remote Cosh & Cany \.. 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