Hurricane season tree prep: what to cut before the storm

Storm damage to a tree is rarely a surprise if you look at the tree beforehand. Most of the limbs and trees that come down in a named storm had a visible problem before the wind ever picked up — the storm just finished what was already started. The work worth doing happens in the calm weeks before the season gets going, not in the 48 hours before a watch is issued, when every crew in the county has the same call list.

What we're checking for

• Dead or dying limbs, especially over the roof, a driveway, or a power line
• A canopy dense enough to catch wind like a sail — thinning it lets wind pass through instead of pushing the whole tree
• Crossing or rubbing branches, which are weak points even on an otherwise healthy tree
• A lean that's new or has gotten worse since last season
• Palms with a season's worth of dead fronds and old fruit still attached
• Any tree already flagged as hazardous — see the signs in our tree removal guide

Thinning, not stripping

The goal before a storm is to open the canopy to wind, not remove it. A tree stripped bare loses the flexibility that actually helps it survive high wind, and over-pruning stresses a tree the same season it needs to be strongest. We thin out what's dead, crossing, or weak, and leave the structure that's doing its job.

Timing: early summer, not August

The window that actually works is late spring through early summer — before the season's statistical peak and before every tree service in Broward is booked solid on the same three days ahead of a named storm. Calling once a watch is already posted usually means a wait, not because crews don't want the work, but because there's genuinely more of it than there is time.

After the storm

If something does come down or split, the priority is anything blocking access, resting on a structure, or hanging in a way that makes it unsafe to approach — say so when you call and it moves up the week. Everything else can usually wait a day or two for a proper look rather than a rushed one.