The truth is, we had a very windy spring. Statewide there were four days in April with winds in excess of 50 mph, according to Minnesota Public Radio. April is our windiest month in Minnesota with typical wind gusts easily in the 40 mph range and average windspeeds blowing about 11 mph (this year it was 13 mph). What’s that got to do with safety? Tree damage.
We’ve all seen it this year. Broken branches, broken trees, even toppled trees with whole root systems heaved out of the ground. In this blog we’ll discuss best practices for, and the importance of, monitoring and maintaining trees, and the need to quickly respond to reports of damage from your coworkers and your community.
Tree claims and city responsibilities
At the 2022 Loss Control Workshops members of our claims staff presented on tree claims and the city’s roles and responsibilities regarding trees on city property and in rights of way. Materials from that presentation are available on the flash drive participants received. A key take-away from that presentation is the importance of tree maintenance.
To minimize claims and improve tree health, cities should implement a regular inspection and maintenance program. Regular inspection and maintenance activities include staff or qualified contractors visually inspecting trees for obvious signs of distress:
- Cracks in the tree trunk or the branches
- Broken or hanging branches
- Decayed areas
- Cavities
- Shredded, stripped, or peeling bark
- Loss of leaves
- Root damage
- Leaning trees
- Fallen limbs
- Roots pulling out of the ground or appearing where they weren’t before
An inventory should be targeted at gathering data in areas where people and property could be injured or damaged by a tree. Determination of risk level is a professional judgment that should be carefully documented. Further documentation should be kept for all community-reported damage or complaints and the city’s follow-up to these reports.
All areas with tree cover are hazard zones, however, obvious priorities exist at parks, golf courses, or busy pedestrian areas such as boulevards.
Resources for assessing your city’s trees:
- Tree risk assessment form from the International Association of Arborists (pdf)
- Municipal evaluation sheet from the U.S. Forest Service
Rapid response is needed
Regardless of how you learn of damaged trees or tree hazards, how you respond to them is critical. For the safety of your community, and to help reduce your city’s liability exposure, a rapid response is needed. Best practices include:
- Providing a reporting system for people to report hazardous trees (several free platforms are available).
- Training staff on the importance of tree safety and response time to community reports.
- Training staff on safe operations when dealing with damaged trees.
- Documenting your inspections and your responses.
Remember, tree hazards can be difficult to identify. They may come in the form of broken branches, tipping or leaning trees, decayed or hollow trunks, even roots that encroach sidewalks and cause trip hazards. Be mindful of these risks and have a plan to safely manage them. For more information on your city’s responsibility for maintaining safe trees, contact your League of Minnesota Cities loss control consultant.
Next week’s blog post will cover best practices for safely removing damaged trees or tree parts. Meanwhile, please work safely, a lot of people depend on you.
Submitted by: Marc Dunker, Loss Control Consultant
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