Are your trees ready for hurricane season?

Hurricane season is once again upon us with experts predicting an active season.

Most people know what to buy for hurricane kits and have started stocking up. We may have emergency measures prepared for our pets, too.

But how many of us have thought about our trees?

I suspect not many, based on the number of calls that arborists and tree care contractors received in 2014 as Iselle and Ana were bearing down on us.

While nothing can make a tree "hurricane proof," pruning to reduce the wind loading can reduce the risk of branch or tree failure during a storm. This is generally accomplished by crown reduction and/or thinning.

The crown of a tree is its foliage and branches. Please note that crown reduction is not the same thing as topping (removing most of the crown with heading cuts). Topping trees and "lion’s tailing" — leaving small tufts of foliage at the branch end — are prohibited pruning practices under national pruning standards, in part because they increase the risk of branch failure. The sprouts that grow rapidly after improper pruning are loosely attached, making them prone to failure even in normal winds, much less a hurricane.

During proper pruning, only around 25 percent of the crown is removed using removal and reduction cuts.

Dead branches 2 inches in diameter and larger should also be removed during each pruning cycle.

Removal may be a better option than pruning, if your tree is growing near important structures or people and has serious defects, or is a species prone to failure.

We have some failure-prone tree species in Hawaii, including the infamous albizia that caused major problems in Puna during and after Iselle.

A certified arborist can help identify trees that are likely to fail.

Storm preparedness for trees takes time and is best done well in advance of an actual storm by a qualified tree trimmer, one who is a licensed contractor with a certified arborist on staff who understands how to prune properly.

The right contractor to hire has a specialty license of C-27 (landscapers including tree trimming) or C-27B (tree trimmers) and current general liability and worker’s compensation insurance. Hiring an unlicensed, uninsured contractor can make a bargain price an expensive mistake when he drops a branch through a roof or has a worker get injured, or worse, on your property.

Depending on your homeowner’s policy, you may not have coverage for these events either. Unlicensed contractors are also more likely to not pay their workers, who could put a lien on your property to get you to pay them directly.

The status of a contractor’s license can be checked online at the Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs’ website, www.pvl.ehawaii.gov/pvlsearch.

Finally, the Aloha Arborist Association (info@alohaarborist.com) is a statewide organization that works to educate the industry and community about proper tree care.

It can help Hawaii’s residents get their trees ready for hurricane season.