Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns
Practitioners who assess the risk associated with urban trees often factor in the presence or absence of visual tree defects when determining whether a tree may fail. Although these defects are a main fixture in many tree risk assessment systems and best-management practices, the research supporting...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/5/988 |
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| author | Andrew K. Koeser Ryan W. Klein Richard J. Hauer Jason W. Miesbauer Zachary Freeman Christopher Harchick Brian Kane |
| author_facet | Andrew K. Koeser Ryan W. Klein Richard J. Hauer Jason W. Miesbauer Zachary Freeman Christopher Harchick Brian Kane |
| author_sort | Andrew K. Koeser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Practitioners who assess the risk associated with urban trees often factor in the presence or absence of visual tree defects when determining whether a tree may fail. Although these defects are a main fixture in many tree risk assessment systems and best-management practices, the research supporting their usefulness in predicting tree failure during storms is limited. When looking at past research involving populations of storm-damaged trees, several defects have never predicted failure (or have been associated with reduced rates of failure). In this study, we took a closer look at four such defects: codominant branches; branch unions with included bark; multiple stems originating from the same point; and overextended branches. After Hurricane Ian, we revisited 1518 risk-assessed trees where one of these four defects was identified as the primary condition of concern. Fourteen of these trees experienced branch failure during the storm (which hit the study area as a downgraded tropical storm). Upon closer inspection, none of these failures occurred at the defect of concern. Our findings indicate that none of the defects assessed appeared to increase the likelihood of tree failure in the species tested. Our results are in line with past research on these defects derived from post-storm assessments and analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:43:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-afd171a22be643b691c78305f6ba6942 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:43:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-afd171a22be643b691c78305f6ba69422023-11-18T01:24:39ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072023-05-0114598810.3390/f14050988Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth PatternsAndrew K. Koeser0Ryan W. Klein1Richard J. Hauer2Jason W. Miesbauer3Zachary Freeman4Christopher Harchick5Brian Kane6Department of Environmental Horticulture, Center for Land Use Efficiency, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida-Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 14625 County Road 672, Wimauma, FL 33598, USADepartment of Environmental Horticulture, Center for Land Use Efficiency, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USACollege of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 800 Reserve Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USAThe Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532, USADepartment of Environmental Horticulture, Center for Land Use Efficiency, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida-Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, 14625 County Road 672, Wimauma, FL 33598, USADepartment of Environmental Horticulture, Center for Land Use Efficiency, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USADepartment of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003-9285, USAPractitioners who assess the risk associated with urban trees often factor in the presence or absence of visual tree defects when determining whether a tree may fail. Although these defects are a main fixture in many tree risk assessment systems and best-management practices, the research supporting their usefulness in predicting tree failure during storms is limited. When looking at past research involving populations of storm-damaged trees, several defects have never predicted failure (or have been associated with reduced rates of failure). In this study, we took a closer look at four such defects: codominant branches; branch unions with included bark; multiple stems originating from the same point; and overextended branches. After Hurricane Ian, we revisited 1518 risk-assessed trees where one of these four defects was identified as the primary condition of concern. Fourteen of these trees experienced branch failure during the storm (which hit the study area as a downgraded tropical storm). Upon closer inspection, none of these failures occurred at the defect of concern. Our findings indicate that none of the defects assessed appeared to increase the likelihood of tree failure in the species tested. Our results are in line with past research on these defects derived from post-storm assessments and analysis.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/5/988bifurcationcycloneforkshurricanetree biomechanicstree risk assessment |
| spellingShingle | Andrew K. Koeser Ryan W. Klein Richard J. Hauer Jason W. Miesbauer Zachary Freeman Christopher Harchick Brian Kane Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns Forests bifurcation cyclone forks hurricane tree biomechanics tree risk assessment |
| title | Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns |
| title_full | Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns |
| title_fullStr | Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns |
| title_full_unstemmed | Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns |
| title_short | Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns |
| title_sort | defective or just different observed storm failure in four urban tree growth patterns |
| topic | bifurcation cyclone forks hurricane tree biomechanics tree risk assessment |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/14/5/988 |
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