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. <\/p>\n
Mike Cross from Fielder Tree Service says this is the worst drought they\u2019ve seen, and because of that, it\u2019s important to be proactive to avoid a tree falling on your house or your car.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
He says trees don\u2019t necessarily die overnight; it\u2019s more of a slow decline, but since the drought has lasted several months, we\u2019re right in the thick of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of mature trees are affected because like humans, they have life spans, so the older they are, they\u2019re 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,\u201d Cross said. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He says even if we get a lot of rain for one day, the trees take longer than that to rehydrate completely.<\/p>\n
Tune into Eyewitness News at 5 and 6 p.m. to watch the full story. This article will be updated later this evening with more details. <\/p>\n
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