Hurricane season doesn't officially wrap up until the end of November, and the Piedmont Triad sees plenty of fall systems roll in from the coast as heavy rain and gusty wind. The wind gets the headlines, but around here the soil plays just as big a role in which trees come down.
Our red clay holds water. After a few inches of rain, the ground around a tree's roots turns soft and heavy, and a gust a tree would normally shrug off can tip the whole root plate out of the ground. Trees with shallow roots, old root damage from construction, or a lean toward the house are the ones we see fail first.
Before the next system comes through, take a walk around the trees closest to your home. Look for soil that is cracked or mounded on one side of the trunk, a lean that seems to have gotten worse, or mushrooms growing at the base. Any of those are worth having a professional look at while the weather is calm.
Have you ever lost a tree after a heavy rain, even when the wind didn't seem that bad?
#StormPrep #PiedmontTriad
A real photo from a Spartan storm job showing an uprooted tree with the root plate lifted out of red clay soil, or a crew clearing a fallen tree after heavy rain. A close-up of cracked or heaved soil at the base of a leaning tree is a strong alternative. Authentic job photos strongly preferred over stock.
Canva text suggestion: "Wet clay plus wind can topple trees" or "Check the soil around your trees"