Stressed-Out Trees In Oklahoma Could Bounce Back

Oklahoma's weather is not kind to trees of any sort.  Ice storms, hail, high winds, and now drought have made this year especially stressful.

Monday, August 29th 2011, 6:09 pm

By: News 9


Darren Brown, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY --  Oklahoma's weather is not kind to trees of any sort.  Ice storms, hail, high winds, and now drought have made this year especially stressful.

Randy Clifton is a certified arborist with Arbor Masters Tree Service.  He and his company have seen it all this summer.

"You have a lot of issues developed by not just the sun," said Clifton.  "The drought has drastically affected trees this year."

According to Clifton, however, most Oklahoma trees could bounce back, given the proper care.  Water is a key element, although watering a tree is a little more involved than watering your lawn.  Clifton claims that in addition to the 2-3 inches of saturation a lawn needs, a tree needs at least another foot.  He also warns against cutting a tree down too soon.

Dusty Nivison almost did just that.  He has a forty-year-old sweet gum tree in his front yard that he feared was dead.

"I was ready to cut it down," Nivison said.

To make sure, he consulted with Arbor Masters who told him to deeply water the tree for a few weeks.

It paid off, and Nivison's sweet gum is at least partly green again.  The west side though, that gets the most sun, is still brown. 

Clifton's seen plenty of trees around town that have a fighting chance.  He says a homeowner should check not only the color of the leaves, but inspect the branches closely. 

"As long as the limb is pliable, there's a chance that tree's gonna come back," said Clifton.  "I would recommend that you get a certified arborist to come look at it." 

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