Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program series

Chapter 1 Cleaning Up After a Hurricane: Safety Comes First!

Eliana Kampf, Astrid Delgado, Carol Lehtola, and Mary L. Duryea

Chapter 2 Cleaning Up after a Hurricane: Get the Right Tree Care Professional

Eliana Kampf, Astrid Delgado and Mary L. Duryea

Chapter 3 Assessing Hurricane-Damaged Trees and Deciding What to Do

Eliana Kampf, Mary L. Duryea, Edward F. Gilman and Astrid Delgado

Right after a hurricane, communities and homeowners need to decide what to do with storm-damaged trees. Although damaged trees may seem to be dying, some trees can be restored, others will need to be removed, and still others will not require any special treatment and can be left alone. The factors that should be considered when deciding whether to remove or restore storm-damaged trees are discussed in detail in this fact sheet. This information helps to make informed decisions about how to treat the damaged trees after a storm. First published January 2007. 

Chapter 4 Chapter 4—Restoring Trees after a Hurricane

Edward F. Gilman and Traci Partin

ENH-1054 provides a step-by-step guide for restoring trees after a hurricane or windstorm so that trees can bring beauty and shade back to the community with reduced risk.

Chapter 5 Wind and Trees: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes

Mary L. Duryea and Eliana Kampf

This fact sheet reports on the lessons learned from research conducted after 10 hurricanes by scientists at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). It also includes valuable field observations from professionals, such as urban foresters, scientists, and arborists.

Chapter 6 Chapter 6—Design Solutions for a More Wind-Resistant Urban Forest

Edward F. Gilman and Traci Partin

ENH1056 describes how to adjust existing design situations where roots are in conflict with the landscape, how to design new situations where space is limited, sustainable parking lot design, and tree selection.

Chapter 7 Chapter 7—Choosing Suitable Trees for Urban and Suburban Sites: Site Evaluation and Species Selection.

Edward F. Gilman and Laura P. Sadowski

ENH1057 discusses site evaluation, modification, maintenance practices, desirable tree attributes, and tree selection.

Chapter 8 Selecting Coastal Plain Species for Wind Resistance

Mary L. Duryea and Eliana Kampf

A team of UF/IFAS scientists studied 10 hurricanes to determine their effect on the urban forest. One of the major goals of this study was to assemble lists of relative wind resistance for different urban tree species to help communities prepare for hurricane seasons. This fact sheet presents the research and methodology that lead to these lists, discusses the results and presents recommendations for selecting and establishing trees for a healthier and more wind-resistant urban forest.

Chapter 9 Selecting Tropical and Subtropical Tree Species for Wind Resistance

Mary L. Duryea and Eliana Kampf

A team of UF/IFAS scientists studied 10 hurricanes to determine their effect on the urban forest. One of the major goals of this study was to assemble lists of relative wind resistance for different urban tree species to help communities prepare for hurricane seasons. This fact sheet presents the research and methodology that lead to lists of relative wind resistance for tropical and subtropical tree species.

Chapter 10 Chapter 10—Selecting Quality Trees from the Nursery

Edward F. Gilman and Laura P. Sadowski

ENH1060 discusses site conditions and after-care as related to maximum tree size at planting, root ball characteristics, appropriate tree production method, and tree structure, and describes quality factors to evaluate.

Chapter 11 Chapter 11—Planting and Establishing Trees

Edward F. Gilman and Laura P. Paterson

ENH1061 details 10 steps for proper tree planting, as well as establishing trees and root management.

Chapter 12 Chapter 12—Developing a Preventative Pruning Program: Young Trees

Edward F. Gilman and Amanda Bisson

Trees growing in urban and suburban landscapes offer many benefits to the community. However, when a tree or part of a tree breaks, it can cause extensive damage to people and /or property. A preventive pruning program is an important tool used to help mitigate the risks from tree defects. Preventive pruning helps to promote good structure, making trees more resistant to storms and other natural forces. This fact sheet describes the components of preventative structural pruning, discusses how to determine pruning objectives, the pruning cycle and, lastly, proposes how to implement a preventative pruning plan for young trees in your community.

Chapter 14 Chapter 13—Developing a Preventative Pruning Program: Mature Trees

Edward F. Gilman and Amanda Bisson

ENH1063, a 14-page full color fact sheet by Edward F. Gilman and Amanda Bisson, is part of the Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program series. It describes seven main objectives, along with pruning types that help meet those objectives, which can be expanded or shortened to meet site conditions and customer expectations. It also describes how to determine a pruning cycle and how to implement a preventative pruning plan for mature trees.

Chapter 15 Developing an Urban Forest Management Plan for Hurricane-Prone Communities

Francisco Escobedo, Rob Northrop, and Wayne Zipperer

FOR-121 brings together the information and tools from previous fact sheets in this hurricane recovery series, changing the focus to the community rather than the homeowner or arborist and from individual trees to the urban forest.