Ep. 144 Derechos & Tree Damage | #GoodGrowing

This week on the Good Growing podcast we relive the recent derecho with horticulture educator Emily Swihart. Emily and Chris swap stories about their experiences with past and present derechos. But what does all this wind do to our trees? We talk about cleaning up our trees after severe windstorms and how to prepare our trees for future wind events. Watch us on YouTube0:36 Hey Ken!2:05 Welcome Emily!3:20 Recounting the Iowa derecho8:01 What happened during the most recent July 2023 Illinois derecho10:42 Tornadoes vs. derechos14:07 Ken defines a derecho https://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/derechofacts.htm17:08 Steps to take after a severe weather event Using chainsaws 19:25 Cutting wood under tension 21:53 Stay away from powerlines! 22:03 Hanging limbs “Widow Makers”25:20 Finding an arborist26:09 Things to look for when hiring an arborist30:32 Long-term management to prepare trees to withstand wind storms; Prevention is the best medicine33:04 Make sure the tree has adequate space for root development38:40 Problematic trees40:32 Angle of branching equals strength41:25 Observe remaining tree after a major wind storm42:27 How a changed landscape impacts remaining trees43:34 How many derechos can we expect in the future?44:35 Extreme loss of trees and its impact on peopleRadar recording of the derecho moving across Illinois https://www.weather.gov/ilx/june29_derechoContact us! Chris Enroth: [email protected] Johnson: [email protected] Check out the Good Growing Blog: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingSubscribe to the weekly Good Growing email: https://go.illinois.edu/goodgrowingsubscribeAny products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.--You can find us on most podcast platforms.  SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/user-555304573   iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-growing/id1446630377   Tunein https://tunein.com/podcasts/Gardening/Good-Growing-p1187964/ Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/202u3siWExE1tTqrVgtmCR   Vurbl https://vurbl.com/station/good-growing-4pljnNlUtyG/   Listen notes https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-growing-chris-enroth-cHLPMWpvEOG/   Ivy https://ivy.fm/podcast/good-growing-167902   Castbox https://castbox.fm/channel/Good-Growing-id4302614?country=us   Google podcasts https://bit.ly/3AiYjTD