Repairing Burnt Trees: Treating Fire Damage to Trees

You might be able to salvage some of the trees in your yard if they were damaged by fire. As soon as you remove any trees that may fall on people or property, you should begin tending to fire-damaged trees. Continue reading to learn more about tree damage from fire.

Tree Damage from Fire

Tree damage and even death from fire can occur in your backyard. How hot and long the fire burned will determine how much damage is done. Additionally, the kind of tree, the season the fire happened, and the proximity of the tree plantings all play a role.

Trees in your yard can sustain damage from an uncontrolled fire in a number of ways. It can eat them whole or in part, scorch and dry them out, or just singe them.

With your assistance, many fire-damaged trees can recover. This is especially true if the trees sustained injuries while they were dormant. Identifying which trees require removal should be done first, even before you begin assisting those that have been damaged by fire.

Tree Removals Affected by Fire

It may be necessary to remove a tree if its damage is so great that it will eventually fall. It can be simple or more difficult to determine whether a tree needs to be removed due to fire damage.

If a fire results in structural flaws in the tree that could lead to its complete or partial collapse, the tree becomes dangerous. If it has the potential to fall and injure someone or damage property below it, such as a picnic table, an electric line, or a building, it is even more crucial to remove it. If burned trees pose a risk to persons or property, there is no use in trying to repair them.

You may be able to afford to try to repair burned trees if they are not close to your property or a place where people walk by. Giving water to trees that have been damaged by fire should be your first priority.

Fixing Burned Trees

Trees are dried out by fire, even down to the roots. Throughout the growing season, you have to make sure that the soil beneath the trees you are assisting with fire damage is always moist. Tree roots that absorb water are found in the top foot (31 cm) of soil. Aim to soak the entire area beneath the tree to a depth of 15 inches (38 cm), from the dripline to the tips of the branches.

You will need to slowly offer water in order to achieve this. Invest in a soaker hose, or just lay the hose on the ground and let it run slowly. Make sure the water is penetrating the soil where the tree needs it by digging down.

Additionally, you should shield your injured trees from the sun. That was the tree’s former function of the now-burned canopy. Cover the main limbs and trunks with tree wrap, cardboard, or light-colored fabric until it regrows. As an alternative, use a white paint with a water base.

When spring arrives, the presence or absence of spring growth will indicate which branches are alive and which are dead. Cut off any dead tree limbs at that point.