TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – As an extreme drought continues throughout the Big Bend and South Georgia, a local arborist is warning that trees are feeling the stress.
Mike Cross from Fielder Tree Service says this is the worst drought they’ve seen, and because of that, it’s important to be proactive to avoid a tree falling on your house or your car.
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He says that because the drought has lasted so long, trees are showing signs of stress, and they are essentially shutting down.
He says trees don’t necessarily die overnight; it’s more of a slow decline, but since the drought has lasted several months, we’re right in the thick of it.
“A lot of mature trees are affected because like humans, they have life spans, so the older they are, they’re a little more susceptible. Things that a homeowner or tree owner can look out for would be to scan the tops of the trees. Every once a week or so, you want to look for discoloration – it seems like one of the first clues they give us is a discoloring crown,” Cross said.
When it comes to watering the trees, he says it could be better to do a deep watering once a week to give the trees about an inch of water instead of watering every single day for short periods.
He says even if we get a lot of rain for one day, the trees take longer than that to rehydrate completely.
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