Drought may cause more trees to fall this winter along Central Coast

As we continue to see more rain, we’re finding out the drought is actually causing more trees to come crashing down on the Central Coast. That’s according to tree service companies who respond to those emergencies.

On Wednesday night, NewsChannel 5 was in Felton to find out why dry ground is a big problem for areas with a lot of trees.

Tree experts said the Central Coast is seeing more and more fallen trees just like this one, because the ground is so dry right now, there’s not enough support to hold the roots. That means anyone living in really wooded areas like the Santa Cruz Mountains, should keep an eye out for leaning trees before its too late.

Certified arborist Bryan Bradford said in a normal year, he can find water about a foot or two beneath the surface. But this year, its a different story.

“In a drought, three years of drought, we’ve got dry soil, 8 to ten feet down, there’s no water,” Bradford said.

This week we’ve seen trees come crashing down all over the Central Coast, from Carmel Valley to Bonny Doon. Bradford said he’s lost about 10 percent of the trees on his property because they became too brittle from the drought. For trees, he said the rain is a blessing an a curse.

“Moisture on a large branch, can add 30 to 40 percent to end weight on that branch and cause tremendous stress,” Bradford said.

In many cases, the rain is causing large branches to fall on roadways, creating more hazards for drivers than in a non-drought year. Bradford recommends having large trees get a health check, for safety reasons.

“You’ve gotta be vigilant of the condition of that tree because if it starts getting too dry you probably don’t want to park under it,” Bradford said.

Tree specialists said its very dangerous to take care of large trees on your own. They recommend calling an expert because trees can be unpredictable when they’re unstable.