Calls to check trees ahead of storm season

People are being urged to check their trees for damage ahead of autumn and winter storms after thousands came down during Storm Goretti in January.

In September, the Met Office warned wetter and warmer-than-normal weather could be on the way this autumn, driven by a strengthening El Niño.

Andy McCutcheon, technical officer for Guernsey Trees for Life, said: "It's incumbent upon all tree owners to take the opportunity now before the main storm season, to take a look at signs of problems."

In January, Storm Goretti brought wind speeds of 95mph (154km/h) to Guernsey.

McCutcheon said it was important for tree owners to "meet their responsibilities" and keep the trees in a healthy condition.

Phil Collenette, tree consultant, said autumn was a "sensible time to be undertaking inspections".

Collenette said it saved people "money from having the tree removed altogether and it avoids risk of injury and damage to property".

"It's also a good time because we get annual fungal fruiting bodies coming up... decay wood fungi appearing on tree stems."

He said they were signs the tree was not in a good condition.

Collenette said "cracks in the branches, splits along the the branches" were other signs of damage, and "with pine trees you get bleeds of resin coming out where there's an issue".

He said there were certain non-native species that "usually succumb to structural damage and strong winds", which included Monterey Cypress, Monterey pine and white poplar, and urged people to buy native trees, if possible, as they coped better with Guernsey's climate.

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