Georgia’s spring storm season runs from March through June, with the heaviest activity in April and May. High winds, rain, and lightning don’t wait for a tree to give obvious warning signs. But most tree failures during storms are predictable, and the warning signs are usually visible weeks before the first storm of the season.
A pre-season walk-through in late winter, followed by targeted work before March, can take the most likely failure candidates off the board while you still have options.
Walk Your Property Before March
You don’t need tree expertise to do a useful walk-through. You’re looking for things that changed since last fall.
What to check:
- A lean that seems more pronounced than it was last year
- Dead branches that didn’t leaf out last spring and are still in the crown
- Bark cracks, splits, or old storm scars that have grown wider
- Heaving soil or cracking at the root zone
- Mushrooms, fungal conks, or soft wood at the base of the trunk
Bradford pears specifically: if you have one that hasn’t been assessed recently, do it before spring bloom. The V-shaped branch structure on a mature Bradford pear carries significant stress, and spring bloom adds weight to an already compromised crown. Our post on Bradford pear removal in Georgia explains what makes them prone to structural failure.
Not sure what you’re looking at? Call 470-994-5343 and we’ll walk the property with you. That assessment is free.
What to Trim Before Storm Season
Pre-season trimming isn’t about aesthetics. It removes the parts of a tree most likely to fail under wind load or turn into airborne debris.
Priority | What to Remove | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
Highest | Dead branches in the active crown | Most common projectiles in a windstorm |
High | Branches overhanging the roof, driveway, or parked vehicles | Proximity to structures raises the stakes of any failure |
High | Crossing and rubbing branches | Create weak contact points that fail first in wind |
Medium | Heavy growth on the side of the crown facing a structure | Selective weight reduction lowers load without harming the tree |
Timing: late January through early March is the window. Trees are dormant, wounds are less vulnerable going into spring, and you have time to act before the first major storm of the season.
Our tree trimming service covers all of these situations.
When Tree Cabling Can Prevent Storm Damage
Cabling is an investment in a specific tree you want to keep. A high-strength cable limits how far the structure can flex under wind load. It isn’t appropriate for every situation, and it doesn’t replace removal when removal is the right call.
The situations where cabling helps most:
Co-dominant trunks. When two main stems of similar size share a single union point, that union is the weakest part of the tree under wind loading. A cable installed between the stems limits how far they can spread. See our post on co-dominant trunks for how this failure mechanism works. [PENDING: link will be live when Post 43 is published]
Wide-spreading crowns. Large oaks and shade trees with crowns that extend significantly from the trunk can benefit from cables that reduce movement and stress on the primary branch attachments.
Trees with previous storm damage. A tree that split partway in an earlier storm and healed over the wound may have reduced integrity at that point. Cabling can support the weakened area.
Our tree cabling service page covers what an installation involves.
When to Remove a Tree Before Storm Season Instead
Some trees are past the point where trimming or cabling changes the outcome. Getting them down before storm season is almost always a simpler and less expensive job than an emergency call after a failure.
Proactive removal makes sense when:
- The tree has multiple risk factors together: lean, root damage, fungal growth, co-dominant structure
- Cabling can’t adequately reduce the risk because the tree overhangs a structure with no safe clearance
- The tree is more than half dead or structurally compromised at the main trunk
A planned removal is a scheduled expense at a standard rate. An emergency removal after a failure is a premium-rate call on top of whatever the tree hit on the way down. Pre-season is when you still get to choose the timing.
Our post on warning signs a tree is about to fall covers the specific indicators to look for.
What to Have Ready Even After Preparation
Preparation reduces risk. It doesn’t remove it entirely. A healthy, well-maintained tree can still fail in a severe storm.
Before storm season begins:
- Save our number in your phone now: 470-994-5343. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Keep your homeowner’s insurance policy number accessible.
- Know where your main utility shutoffs are located.
- If a tree contacts a power line: stay back from the tree, the car, and anything the line touches. Call 911. Do not approach until Georgia Power has cleared the line.
If a tree comes down during a storm, call us before you touch anything. We’ll walk you through what’s safe while we’re on the way.
For what to do once the immediate storm has passed, our post on storm-damaged trees covers the full process. For active hazards, our 24/7 emergency tree service handles immediate response.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I schedule a pre-season tree inspection in Georgia? Late January through February. Trees are dormant, work schedules are more open, and you have time to address whatever an inspection finds before March. Waiting until April means working against the start of storm season rather than ahead of it.
Does trimming trees before a storm actually reduce damage? Yes, when the right branches are removed. Dead branches, crossing branches, and excess crown weight on the side facing a structure are the parts that most often fail in wind or cause damage when they do. Removing them before the season lowers both the likelihood of failure and the consequences if a storm is severe.
How do I know if a tree needs to come down rather than just trimmed? Multiple risk factors together are the clearest signal: pronounced lean, visible root damage or heaving, fungal growth at the base, a co-dominant union over a structure, or a crown that’s mostly dead. A single factor may be manageable. Several together warrant an in-person assessment. A photo won’t tell you what an on-site look will.
Schedule Your Pre-Season Inspection
If you have a tree you’ve been watching, pre-season is when you get to act on your schedule instead of an emergency’s schedule.
Tree Service Smyrna serves Smyrna, Marietta, Vinings, Mableton, and Austell. Call 470-994-5343 to schedule a free pre-season walk-through. Family owned and fully insured.
No commitment to book work. If the trees are fine, we’ll tell you that. If work is needed, you leave with a written quote and a clear understanding of why.
Sources
- Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Storm Preparedness: gema.georgia.gov [FLAG: verify specific page URL before publishing]
- UGA Cooperative Extension, Trees and Storm Damage: extension.uga.edu [FLAG: verify specific article URL before publishing]
- Georgia Power, Downed Power Lines Safety Guidance: georgiapower.com [FLAG: verify specific page URL before publishing]
