Choosing wind-resistant trees for your landscape

By Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1, and lasts until the end of November. Recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced an 85 percent chance that storm activity in the Atlantic in 2024 will be above average due to record-high ocean heat and an oncoming La Nina, periodic cooling of ocean surface temperatures that affects rainfall patterns and can contribute to more intense weather. Other agencies, including universities,  governments, and private weather companies, have made similar predictions.

Eastern North Carolina is no stranger to hurricanes and high-wind events that bring down trees and power lines. Climate-change predictions of a continuing rise in sea surface temperatures over the coming decades could lead to ever stronger hurricanes with higher wind speeds and thus a greater likelihood that trees will be knocked down during these storms, possibly damaging adjacent structures.

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), Jim Robbins, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

If you are planning to add trees to your garden, fall is the ideal time to plant them as their roots keep growing through the winter. Since the trees don't leaf out or flower in the fall, their roots can become well established before the spring growing season, allowing them to form a strong anchor to face future storms.

To plant the right tree in the right place, you need to know your soil type and what you want the tree to provide— shade, color, improved air quality, aesthetics, food and habitat for wildlife, or all of the above. With predictions of stronger wind events in the future, be sure to add wind-resistance to this list.

According to an article in Sea Grant North Carolina Coastwatch, summer 2019 (https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/coastwatch/current-issue/summer-2019/dont-cut-down-that-tree-preserving-a-protective-buffer-against-high-speed-winds/), trees can provide a protective boundary around houses by minimizing the open space through which the wind enters. Groups of same-size trees are relatively more wind-resistant compared to lone trees because groups provide the first barrier to the wind, thus better protecting nearby buildings.

The article recommends keeping your trees healthy through regular maintenance to increase their ability to survive a storm. This includes proper pruning techniques when needed, and removing overly mature trees.

Pine trees and Bradford pears are notorious for being felled during hurricanes. Because pine trees are usually the tallest trees in the landscape, they have little protection from surrounding trees, making them very susceptible to wind damage. Bradford pears grow fast, resulting in weak trunks and branches that can't withstand hurricane-force winds.

Other low wind-resistant trees to avoid include Pecan (Carya illinoinensis), Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), Southern red oak (Quercus falcata), Laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), and Water oak (Quercus nigra), according to studies conducted by the University of Florida IFAS Extension.

For inland areas, the study recommends Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), River birch (Betula nigra), Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), and Persimmon (Diospyros virginica). For coastal areas, it recommends Live oak (Quercus virginiana).

River birch (Betula nigra), Jim Robbins, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), Jim Robbins, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Additional information about these studies and their recommendations are available at https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/treesandhurricanes/.

Other tree suggestions can be found on the North Carolina Forest Service website at https://www.ncforestservice.gov/Urban/urban_recommendedstreettrees.htm.

Wind resistance doesn't guarantee that your trees won't be blown over during a hurricane. However, the proper selection, siting, planting, and maintenance of wind-resistant trees gives them a much better chance of surviving storms and minimizing damage to both trees and surrounding structures.