On your typical hurricane preparedness checklist you will find the obvious: Keep batteries in supply. Get a radio. Stock non-perishable food items and water. Have a response procedure for your family to keep them safe while the storm winds blow. That checklist will also include steps for securing your property. It will often recommend that you trim your trees for dead or hazardous branches, and remove trees that are at risk of falling on your home should they be blown down. However, here in the piney woods region of Texas, it is entirely impossible to be completely free of the risk of one’s home being damaged as a result of a damaged tree. Even when a homeowner removes every stick of wood from his property, a neighbor’s tree can...

Noticing shriveled leaves on your oaks? Finding yellow and brown maple leaves well before the autumn months? These are signs that your trees are probably dehydrated or, more commonly speaking, experiencing the effects of drought.

Not unlike humans, trees need a high amount of water to survive. Typically this means a 120%-200% moisture content in the tree’s soil. Since trees cannot pick up and move to Seattle for more rainfall, they will stand silent and thirsty during a drought and become more susceptible to drought effects. The effects of drought on trees include disease, wilting leaves, and narrower growth rings in the tree trunk. A few common native Texas trees, such as the pine tree, will show more subtle effects. Pine needles ...