PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- As water levels rise, so does the frustration of local neighborhoods as grounds become saturated. All the rain may be ridding us of the drought; but in such excess it's actually drowning out our trees, an accident waiting to happen right in your yard.
"Well the trees take in so much weight from the water that it pulls up out of the ground," said Charles Osborne, an arborist at All State Tree Inc.
Osborne has been inspecting trees for nearly 25 years. He said homeowners need to use their senses and check the trees on their properties when conditions get this wet.
"You have to be aware and just take a few minutes to walk around the house and see what kind of conditions your trees are in," said Osborne.
Things you should look for include large leaning trunks and water-logged limbs draped in Spanish moss.
"The Spanish moss becomes extremely heavy and increases the weight drastically on the tree limbs, which causes many of them to break out, fall into a roof or fall onto someone, or a car or even just a yard," said Osborne.
He also advises homeowners to listen for creaking in their yards, which could be a sign of internal rotting that is not visible.
If you think you have a problem with a tree in your yard call an experienced arborist to check it out.
