Local arborist says heavy rains could cause more trees to fall

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We’re On Your Side with a warning about this week’s upcoming rain and your trees.

Arborists say the soggy ground can weaken a tree’s root system and one expert said more trees are at risk of falling than ever.

“They are going to fail,” James Lightsey, owner of The Arborist, a local tree service, said. “I think we are going to see more trees falling, we are going to see them fail.”

He said its because of two big previous rainy seasons, the trees got a lot excess water right before winter dormancy.

“What it does it produces an excess amount of water sprouts... and that makes trees top heavy,” he said. “It makes that weak attachment point even worse because it has that excess weight. Any wind can cause failing, because it has the excess weight. The weight is going to just make them fail.”

Lightsey said internal rotting can happen to any tree, but soft woods like oak trees are likely to fail from excess water.

“It’s gonna have a weak inner xylem and that is going to cause the whole center of it to rot out, so any of these small winds we have could actually knock them over,” Lightsey said.

But, there’s ways to check. Mushrooms, sawdust or fungus near the bottom can be indicators of decay, but the leaves are most telling.

“Fullness of leaves in the center of the tree, that is how you can really tell,” he said.

The best move is to have someone come out and evaluate your trees, because Lightsey said they can fail quickly.

“It’s well worth it for the protection and ease of mind of your house,” he said.

Lightsey said if a tree does fall and cause damage to your property, insurance won’t always cover it. He said there are times when, if the tree was rotting or diseased before it fell, insurance companies will say it was neglected by the owner.

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