Trees line our City streets and sidewalks with a beautiful urban canopy, but can present serious risks to the safety of residents during rainy winters, especially in the upcoming Super El Niño season that is predicted to blast California’s City streets during the winter of 2024.
While we pride ourselves in providing quick, safe and efficient emergency response services for our clients, especially in times of severe rain and wind, cities can take precautionary steps to be better equipped in the event of an emergency.
With warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures over the past few months comes a 71% chance prediction of a “strong” El Niño, “strong” meaning a higher probability of storm impact patterns changing global circulation. Heavy wind and rains that can come from heavy rainfall in Super El Niño seasons, intensify existing tree lean and soil cracks, generating air pockets beneath the softening soil that expose the tree’s roots. Trees neglected with these attributes often lead to failure without warning. Keeping up with routine maintenance, such as trimming and necessary removals, minimizes the possibility of unexpected tree failure in rainy conditions like this.
It is also important that cities maintain an updated, accurate inventory of their trees to prevent a problem before it occurs. Here at West Coast Arborists, our Arbor Access online inventory management program allows us to store the results of regular tree inspections, and flag any potential issues that could be triggered by weather. Actively analyzing tree-related risk claims and strategizing how to prevent them from occurring again helps minimize the risk of future tree damage.
Both keeping up with a routine tree maintenance schedule and updating their tree inventories are ways cities can be prepared for and stay safe during the fast approaching rainy season. To learn more about West Coast Arborists’ emergency response efforts, visit: https://westcoastarborists.com/services.