Check your trees before severe fall and winter weather

In July of this year, 19 people ended up in a hospital after a large tree fell onto a detached garage.

The group, celebrating a birthday party, had sought refuge in the garage when a storm blew up, according to Claims Journal.

The tree splintered the garage, trapping six inside. Firefighters were able to extract the trapped people within 45 minutes.

Nothing is more charming than a big tree shading a sunny yard. The problem is that even healthy trees fail and, just like power wires, they can come down in a storm.

Trees near a house, garage, or driveway, need to be inspected frequently. According to Davey Solutions, watch for trees that are leaning, buckling, or heaving up in the soil at the base.

Check the canopy of trees for unbalanced or sparse leafing and dead branches.

Check for decaying trunks and large branches.

Make sure you never sever large roots of a tree and that any nearby construction has not damaged the root area.

Although some damage can be repaired by an arborist, don’t let weak, dying trees remain on your property.