Wind Resistant Trees

[ysabetwordsmith]

As the weather becomes more extreme, storms increase in frequency and severity.  Wind, ice, torrential rain, etc. can make it hard to grow trees.  So, these are some trees with tough roots and branches that resist damage better than average. Try to avoid brittle species that break easily.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

Hmm, all those strands of norway furs that the forestry commission planted here back in the 80's are going to go...

The milder winters are perfect for pine beetles to gnaw away at them, and then we get spring gales.

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Pest resistance is another issue in choosing what to plant. There are lists for that too. Some of the articles I used here have a grid listing different features such as water/soil needs, pests/diseases, etc.

[rhodielady_47]

The one tree you never want to plant is a Bradford Pear.
They started planting these nice little lollypop shaped pear trees (called "liners" by the nursery trade) all over the South because they bloomed pretty in the spring, had nice green leaves all summerlong and then their leaves turned a pretty red each fall.
A few years passed and then a few ice storms hit here and there and really tore these trees up every time. The bill to cut the remaining parts down and then dig up the stumps would generally be a large one since it didn't matter what age the tree was when it happened.
Turns out, the Bradford Pear has a very bad habit of developing V crotches in its branches which are too weak to resist high wind or the weight of ice from ice storms.
What's worse, the Bradford Pear is a highly invasive tree as well since the tiny fruit is eaten and spread by birds.
It's easy to tell which areas have been invaded by Bradford Pear seedlings--just tour the southern countryside during their bloom time.
:(

Yes...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Some of the articles did list "most vulnerable" trees. Hackberry and mulberry, two of the commonest trees in our yard, are on that list.