Before a storm: what the sources tell tree owners about their trees
The International Society of Arboriculture, the University of Florida extension service and Miami-Dade County each publish advice for owners ahead of storm season. This page reports what they list and who they say can look at a tree.
This page is for tree owners. It reports what the named sources say and is not advice about your tree: for that, ask a qualified arborist or one of the offices under Who to call.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. It reports owner advice from three publishers, says nothing about the state of any tree, and links the courses that teach the work in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country.
What ISA says storms do to trees
The ISA brochure Storm-Related Tree Damage says it is impossible to prevent all storm damage to trees, and that an ISA Certified Arborist can help identify areas of concern and prepare trees. It describes three ways storms harm trees: strong winds can break branches and uproot trees, particularly when heavy rain or snow has softened the soil; heavy snow or ice loads can break branches under the extra weight; and lightning heats the water in the tree so that wood ruptures and bark comes off.
The brochure lists what preventative tree care may include.
- Training trees to improve their form.
- Looking for defects in branches, trunk and roots and advising on how to manage them.
- Removing dead or defective branches.
- Correcting problems from past care such as topping.
- Installing a lightning protection system for high value trees.
What the University of Florida extension service lists
A May 2025 news release from UF/IFAS Extension, Prepare your landscape and trees for the hurricane season, quotes an urban forestry agent from Hillsborough County who says healthier plants are more resilient to disturbance, though a once-in-a-lifetime storm can still knock down a healthy tree. The release lists these points for owners.
- Young trees need structural pruning more often until they are mature, when they may need little or none.
- Looking for dying, dead or broken branches.
- Watching trunks for strange bulges, breaks, wounds or bark shedding.
- Watching the ground around each tree for gradual sinking or rising, or for mushrooms at the base, which the release says can point to a fungal infection.
- Contacting a certified arborist for an evaluation far in advance of hurricane season.
It also lists yard items for a hurricane: bird feeders and furniture brought in, gutters cleared, plants and yard items secured, irrigation turned off and rain barrels secured. The guide on mushrooms at the base of a tree reports what three sources say that sign may indicate.
What Miami-Dade County says about pruning before a storm
The Miami-Dade County page on hurricane tree preparation says the right tree in the right place may act as a buffer against strong winds. Its points about work before a storm are in the table.
| Topic | What the county page says |
|---|---|
| Timing | Pruning is not to begin during a Hurricane Watch or Hurricane Warning. Pruning is given for the species' dormant season or early spring. |
| Why | Improper pruning before a storm can make trees break or fall more easily, and the large amounts of fallen and damaged trees seen after a storm come from improper cutting or pruning. |
| Topping | The page says no tree is to be topped or hatracked, and defines hatracking as cutting a tree so badly it has few or no leaves left on the branches. |
| Crown | Removing mainly interior branches thins the crown so wind passes through more easily. |
| Cuttings | Branches and stumps left in the open can become projectiles in a storm. |
| Who does the work | The tree trimmer is to be a certified arborist, and the page says to ask to see their registration or license and insurance. |
The guide on topping reports more on that word, and the guide on hiring an arborist reports what the trade bodies say to look for.
What the sources agree on
The University of Florida release says to contact a certified arborist for an evaluation far in advance of hurricane season, ISA says a Certified Arborist can help prepare trees, and Miami-Dade County says the tree trimmer is to be a certified arborist. Only Miami-Dade County warns against pruning during a Hurricane Watch or Warning. None says a particular tree will stand or fall. For what the sources say once a tree has come down, the guide on what to do first when a tree is down lists the offices.
Who to call
- ISA Find an Arborist: the ISA directory its brochure points owners to for an arborist who can assess a tree
- Consulting arborists by country: the credentials and registers consulting arborists hold in each country
- Tree down, first steps: the emergency and utility offices to call once a tree has fallen
Sources
- International Society of Arboriculture, Storm-Related Tree Damage brochure, 2021, read October 9, 2026
- University of Florida IFAS Extension, Prepare your landscape and trees for the hurricane season, May 5, 2025, read October 9, 2026
- Miami-Dade County, hurricane tree preparation, read October 9, 2026